Inner Apocalypse: Season 1
by BittersweetRecollections
Summary: Roxanna Hylkio just wanted to be normal but she can't with her parents dead, a Millennium Item with a hyper spirit, and a friend that's now her enemy.So she shuts everyone away. When Duelist Kingdom comes, she finds more than just friends.YugixOC YamixOC
1. Info

Inner Apocalypse Intro:

Name: Roxanna Hylkio

Looks: Long grey hair, that reaches her hips. Her eyes are a shade of cold, unemotional grey. She's about Yugi's height, and normal weight. She's the same age as Yugi and his friends.

Personality: Dislikes people, a lot. A superb duelist, but doesn't duel much anymore. Also hates hats, and anything cheerful. She may seem shy, and maybe nice, but get on her nerves she can be real violent, hot-tempered, and rude.

Millennium Item: Millenium Hourglass- Contains an ancient spirit almost identical to Roxanna, except that the spirit is about Yami (pharaoh)'s height, and her eyes are a bright aquamarine blue. The spirit's name is unknown, but she gave herself a name: R. The hourglass is also capable of letting the user see glimpses of the past, or future, but only pieces, never the whole picture. R is more happy, and outgoing than Roxanna.

Family: All died before in a freak accident. She was then adopted, but her adoptive father was murdered. Her adoptive father was an archeologist.

History: Went to the same orphanage as Kaiba and Mokuba.

Other Info: She owns a small bookshop, in Domino City, but doesn't attend Domino High yet, because she hasn't decided if she should go to school yet, so for now, she's learning all she needs to know on her own.

**So yeah I'll update when I can, but tell me if the intro sounds ok. Bye!**

**~RILEY**


	2. Chapter 1  Struggle of Heart and Reason

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or it's characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story…

**Chapter 1-Struggle of Heart and Reason**:

_How did I get myself into this mess?_ I glanced at the ground beneath me. It all happened so fast. My leg was caught on a rope, and, dangling me in the air upside down, beneath a tree. My hair hung down, and my hourglass, strung on a silver string around my neck, threatened to fall off at any moment.

"Oh great, just what I needed! I can't believe I fell for this freaking trap… Knowing my luck, Lucifer probably set it up." I groaned. My bag and dueling glove with my ten star chips lay on the grass below, just waiting to be taken by any passerby. Now how did this all happen?

_

* * *

_

~Flashback~

_I shook my head, re-reading the letter… It was almost too perfect. A chance to get back what I lost all those years ago._

Dear Roxanna,

I'm holding a Duel Monsters tournament, and guess what? You're invited! It would be splendid if you could come!

Sincerely,

Maximillion Pegasus

_I haven't had to chance to duel anyone in a long time… But if it's a Duel Monster's tournament, then Lucifer would definitely be there… All I have to do is go and find him! _

_I packed up all the things I needed in my blue backpack, and checked to make sure my outfit was ok to go outdoors in. I wore a dark green t-shirt that had gray paint splats all over them, a dark blue jacket, army shorts that had multiple pockets, a belt with my deck sheath, and black boots. _

_Good to go. _

_I slipped on the glove that was sent with the letter, and stuffed the cards that came with it in my bag. I placed the two stars into the indentations on the side of the glove. The ship would leave any minute now. I clasped on the Millennium Hourglass. It was about the size of my thumb, and in the middle of the hourglass, was a golden Egyptian eye… A gift from my adoptive father, before he was killed._

_I ran down the stairs, and stepped into the bookshop part of the store. It wasn't huge, but was filled with almost any type of book imaginable. But half of the entire store was filled with books on Ancient Egypt, a subject my adoptive father was obsessed with. Apparently, he got me into it too. I took one last look at my home, before walking out. I turned the sign to CLOSED, and locked the store door shut. "I won't forget… Ever. That day, changed me." I murmured, and walked away from the bookshop. The only sound was the click clacking of my boots against the concrete floor, which echoed into the night. _

_

* * *

_

I arrived at the harbor, where a huge ship was. A whole crowd of people were there, probably all of them ready to go into the tournament.

_"Attention, duelists, welcome to this event sponsored by Industrial Illusions. You received with your invitations, the star chips that will grant you entry into the contest. You are all elite, invited by us after close observations of your past duel monsters contests. You each have a fair and equal chance to win. It just comes down to how well you've chosen your cards, and how well you play. Now then, duelists, cross the ocean, and enter the Duelist Kingdom!" a guy announced. After that, I had tried to quickly board the ship, but I was caught off guard by some yelling. _

"_Hey, you, get out of here! Only official contestants are allowed on board!" A guard yelled, and with the help of another guard pulled a blonde boy to the side. _

_"How do you know I'm not official?" The boy growled. _

_"Because official duelists wouldn't try to sneak in through the lower hatchet!" The guard sighed. _

_A boy with spiky, tri-colored hair standing in front of me gasped, "Joey, what the?" and ran over to the scene. _

_"Only people with a star chip can get on, there are no exceptions!" the guard insisted. _

_I sighed, and walked over. If they didn't solve this problem, the ship would take so long to take off. "I really don't want to wait for you guys to finish sorting this out in an hour. He needs a star chip to get in right? He has one now." I shoved one of my stars into the blonde boy's hand. "Tah, tah!" I muttered, before any of them could say a word, I walked away. _

_Why did I do that? It's not like it matters if he gets aboard or not, it has nothing to do with me… For once, I felt my judgment waver, before I sighed, and boarded the ship. No. No friends for me today. Or ever._

_The ship took off, and I walked towards a quiet spot, where it seemed nobody had been yet. I leaned on the railing and gazed at the rolling waves, a sight I hadn't seen in a long time. "Dad… I'm gonna get revenge on that creep for killing you!" I muttered, and pulled out a candy bar, to munch on. Being angry makes me hungry._

_"Yugi, look at all these good cards I traded for!" I heard that familiar Brooklyn accent. It was that blonde guy from before. _

_"Hey, let me see- Wait, aren't you that girl from before!" the kid with the tri-colored hair walked up to me, and the blonde dude followed. _

_"Yeah, so?" I bit into the chocolate bar. _

_"Hey, thanks for helping me out there, I owe you one! By the way, I'm Joey Wheeler." The blonde kid stuck out his hand. _

_"My name's Yugi." The other kid smiled. _

_I stared at Joey's hand, before answering. "Roxanna Hylkio." I didn't even bother to put my hand out._

_Joey look confused, but let his hand fall to the side. _

_I just noticed then, that Yugi had a weird upside down golden pyramid with the same Egyptian eye symbol on my hourglass hanging around his neck. "That wouldn't be a Millennium Item, would it?" I poited at the pyramid. _

_"Yeah, my Puzzle… You have one too don't you?" Yugi nodded towards my hourglass. _

_"Yeah…" I said. _

_"Oh, I forgot to give this to you Joey!" Yugi handed Joey a card. _

_"Thanks! Oh and Rox, thanks again." Joey grinned, and my eye twitched. God, I hated nicknames! _

_"No problem, I didn't do it for you, I did it so that the ship could take off faster." I mumbled. _

_"Ah, Yugi we meet again!" Another kid, wearing abnormally big glasses, and short bluish green hair, walked over to us. _

_"Weevil!" Yugi gasped. _

"_You used the Exodia cards in the duel with Kaiba right? Those are the strongest cards of them all. Could I possibly see those legendary cards?" Weevil begged. My hourglass glowed, and everything went blank. _

__

*Vision*:

Weevil smirked, as he took the cards out of Yugi's hands. Waves. Cards. Gone. _My eyes widened, and I saw that Weevil had already held them. "Weevil, don't you dare!" I yelled, and tackled him, but not before he threw the cards over board. _

_"Those are the Exodia cards my grandpa gave me!" Yugi gasped. _

_"I'll get them!" Joey jumped overboard. _

_"Why, you little creep!" I grabbed Weevil by his collar, choking him. "There's nothing I hate more than liars and traitors." My grip tightened, as he tried to escape. I finally let him go. He glanced at me, his eyes full of fear, and ran off. I looked over the railing. Yugi had jumped into the ocean, after Joey looked like he was drowning. _

_"Come on!" A brunette girl hissed, and dragged a guy with pointy hair out. They looked at me, before throwing a ladder overboard. _

_"Guess there's no need for me now…" I grumbled, and walked away. Too many people near me made me queasy. _

_

* * *

_

I glanced out of my window, and caught the view of an island, with the sun rising. That must be the Duelist Kingdom. I pulled out a very old, grey I-pod. And when I get there, I'll make sure to make him pay! I stuffed the I-pod back into my pocket, before heading out of my room, taking extra care to avoid being seen. The ship docked, and I exited quickly, and gasped in awe.

_The castle was huge, and long staircases lead to it. Pegasus sure knows how to stand out. I walked up the stairs, to front the castle. Pegasus stood above the rest of the duelists who gathered around the castle, and prepared to make a speech. "Welcome, all duelists to the Duelist Kingdom! This tournament will test your skills like never before! Each of you have been given a dueling glove and two star chips! In each duel, you wager your star chips. If you get ten star chips, that will allow you to enter the semi-finals, in the castle. Dueling arenas are spread all around the island, and there are new dueling rules in action. You have one full hour, before the fireworks are set into the sky, and that's when the duels begin!" Pegasus walked away, as the cheers sounded. _

_So… I'm betting that Lucifer will be there, in the finals. All I need to do is get those ten star chips. The fireworks went into the sky, and signaled the start of the tournament._

"_I'll take that star chip." I walked up the person who lost to me. He handed me that last one I needed. I placed it in the glove and smiled. Ten, enough to enter the castle. I glanced at the night sky, and decided to set up camp, in the forest. I walked into the forest, and stepped on something. _

_"Huh?" I looked down on the floor. "AH!" and just like that, I was up in the air, the rope wrapped around my right ankle. _

* * *

"Boy it sure got dark in a hurry." A familiar voice sighed.

"Maybe we should- AH!" a person walked up to me, and screamed.

"Hey, I'm not that scary, you know." I crossed my arms over my chest, very offended that the girl was scared of me.

"Tea, what are you screaming at?" a boy with pointy brown hair walked up to me, with two familiar people.

"Rox, watchya doing hanging up there?" Joey asked.

"Meh, I fell for a trap, what does it look like?" I shrugged, and felt my hourglass slipping off again. "Now can someone help me down?"

The foursome helped undo the knot, and I fell onto the floor.

"Ouch." I rubbed my head, before grabbing my bag, and slipping on my glove. "Thanks."

"Oh right, guys, this is Roxanna. Roxanna, that's Tea, and that's Tristan." Yugi introduced.

"That reminds me… Here, take this back." Joey handed me a star chip.

"Nah, unless you want me to have eleven of those things keep it. Anyway, you repaid me by helping me down." I replied, placing the star back into his hand.

"You got ten already?" His jaw dropped. I felt that familiar feeling, that I wanted to throw up again.

"Yeah." I muttered. "

Come on, you can hang out with us!" Tea smiled brightly. "No, I uh…" I protested, but was dragged away by Tristan and Joey. "This is going to be soo fun." I didn't even try to hide my sarcasm.

* * *

"And when they finally pulled over and look to see what was in the backseat of the car, it was over twenty pepperoni pizzas with double cheese and meatballs!" Tristan smiled.

"Oh please, what kind of ghost story is that supposed to be!" Tea laughed.

"Psh, I've seen things one hundred times scarier than that!" I smirked.

"Yeah, like what?" Tristan asked. My face fell, as I recalled that day.

"If I don't get some food in me, I'm going to turn into a ghost!" Joey groaned, thankfully changing the subject for me.

"Those two and their stomachs, huh Yugi?" Tea laughed.

Joey stared hungrily at a wild mushroom. "My meal ticket!" Joey licked his lips, and was about to eat the thing, when I threw a book at him that read: Poisonous Plants. It bounced off his head, and he fell backwards, on his back.

"Ow, what did you do that for?" Joey growled.

"If you ate that mushroom, you would die, it's poisonous." I replied.

"So do us a favor, and let him eat it!" a girl with blonde hair walked over.

_Great, just what I need, more people…_

"Now what do you want Mai?" Joey growled.

In response, the girl bit into a chocolate bar. The others looked absolutely hungry.

"That's it, you can duel me, you can insult me, but you're not eating in front of me!" Joey walked up to her, obviously angry.

"Give me your star chips, and I'll give you some food." Mai taunted him.

Joey's mouth hung open, saliva dripping down, before he shook his head rapidly. "Forget it, potato chips, I mean star chips are priceless!" Joey growled.

"I was only kidding. I'll be more than happy to share if you can ask politely like a gentleman." Mai smiled.

"Right, so then you can make fun of me?" Joey pouted.

"Look, by tomorrow, I'll be able to go to the castle, so there's no point to keep an entire knapsack of food with me." Mai shrugged.

"How do we know this isn't another trick? Give me one good reason to trust you." Joey crossed his arms over his chest. "Cause it's either me or that mushroom." And at that, the whole group had nothing to disagree on.

Meanwhile, I had taken out a bag of potato chips from my bag and were munching on them. "Hey, you had food all along?" Joey gasped.

"Yep. *Crunch* So? *Crunch*" I talked while eating.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tristan complained.

"Cause, *Crunch* you never asked." I replied, and fished out an apple, which I bit into.

"Look at all this stuff, candy bars,"

"Dibs on the candy bars!"

"Potato chips,"

"Dibs on the chips!"

"Canned fruit… Soda!"

"Dibs on the soda!" While Yugi looked at all the food, Tristan and Joey kept on calling dibs on whatever they wanted.

"No dibs on anything, until you complete your chores. Yugi, go look for some firewood, and you two boys can fetch us some water." Mai ordered. The three of them nodded, before walking off. "What are your names?" Mai asked.

"Tea."

"Roxanna."

"Well, there's a makeshift shower over there, if you want to freshen up a bit." Mai pointed in a direction.

"You can go Tea, I had a shower on the ship." I nodded.

"Ok." She walked away. "Hey, wasn't it only the champions that were allowed to have rooms with showers?" Mai asked.

"Well… Yeah, I was a champion a few years back." I replied.

"Really? I don't remember reading or hearing anything about you." Mai looked impressed.

"Yeah, it was a while ago, so nobody really remembers." I shrugged.

* * *

"Uh, Joey, I don't think you're supposed to cook the candy bars…" Yugi sighed.

"Back off, I know what I'm doing." Joey said quickly.

"Joey, you'll give us all food poisoning." I smiled, the slightest bit.

"Hey!" He protested.

While Tea was taking a shower, Joey, Tristan, and Yugi were attempting to cook something.

"Wow, sure smells good!" Tristan complimented.

"I still say it'll poison us all." I muttered, but ate it along with the rest of them. "Joey, I'll give you this. When I die, it's at least after I ate something decent." I smirked, and watched as he grew mad. But he quickly calmed down.

"Not bad! How's yours Tea?" Yugi asked.

"Four stars!" Tea smiled.

"Speaking of stars, how many do you have Mai? Is it eight, or nine? However many you have, it sounds like you're doing great." Yugi smiled.

"Don't think you're going to fool me with your nice guy routine, it's only a matter of time before you-" Mai said.

"Can we forget about the tournament for one night?" Tea pleaded.

"Let's make fun of Joey instead, that's always fun!" Tristan grinned.

"Yeah, I can feel myself dying already." I fell against the floor, and let my tongue stick out. "Food poisoning…" I gasped, and winked.

"Hey, that's enough, the food isn't that bad!" Joey growled.

"Fine, so long as everyone is crystal clear about one thing, any duelist that gets in my way, is going down!" Mai stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go on a walk." She walked out of sight. I sat up, and winced. It sounded like Mai knew what it was like to be all alone… Just like me

"Mai's been gone for a while…" Tristan sighed.

"Maybe we should check on her." Yugi suggested.

"Nah, it's probably just some trap." Joey shook his head.

The bushes started rustling, and Tea screamed. Joey and Tristan ran to the front, apparently trying to 'protect' us. "Bet you she's been hiding there the whole time! Come on out Mai!" Joey yelled, and the person who emerged from the bushes was definitely not Mai…

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Right, if you've read the ones I have on Quizilla, you'll see I changed things a bit, but that' to make it better. Please comment, and give me tips. **


	3. Chapter 2 Opposite Reflections

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story…

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case.

**Chapter 2- Opposite Reflections, Dark and Light, Hot and Cold**

_Roxanna_

The person who emerged from the bushes, had long white hair, and chocolate colored eyes, and for some reason, he made me feel uneasy… I couldn't quite put my finger on it, there was just something different about him.

"Bakura!" Everyone but me gasped.

"What are you doing here, Bakura?" Joey asked.

"Same as you guys, I guess." The boy shrugged, and I detected the slightest bit of a British accent in his voice.

"You gave us a scare sneaking around those bushes." Tristan sighed with relief.

"Yeah, for a minute there, we thought we actually had something to worry about! Pretty silly, huh?" Joey laughed nervously.

"Hi, my names Bakura!" The boy smiled at me, a smile that sent shivers running down my spine.

"Roxanna." The uneasiness hadn't disappeared. And just like that, Bakura joined the five of us around the fire. And just to be safe, I sat as far away from him as I could.

* * *

I watched Joey stare intently at a Duel Monster's card he was holding. "

Joey, you've been staring at that card for like an hour, what's up?" Tristan asked.

"I'll tell you just don't laugh. Sometimes, in a duel, I pretend that it's me out there on the field swapping blows with whatever card my opponent has out. Isn't that dumb?" Joey laughed nervously.

"Well if you were, which card would you want to be?" Bakura asked.

"Uh… This one! The Flame Swordsman kicks everybody's butt, hah!" Joey stood up, holding the card, and pretended to slash at the air, with an invisible sword.

"Not my guy's, the Cyber Commander!" Tristan stood up, holding his card.

"You boys and your cards are hilarious!" Tea laughed.

"I think everyone has a card they can identify with, you should see if you can pick one for yourself, Tea." Yugi suggested.

"Ok, I pick this one Magician of Faith." Tea showed off her card.

"What, you got to be kidding me!" Tristan laughed.

"More like the Magician of Freaks if you ask me!" Joey nodded.

"Shut up!" Tea growled. Tristan and Joey whimpered, and hugged each other.

"Tell me which one you identify with, Yugi." Bakura turned towards him. "Oh that's easy, Dark Magician Hands down." Yugi held up his card.

"What about you, Roxy?" Bakura asked. _Can't anyone tell I don't like any of the nicknames they give me?_ "Legendary Ice Angel." I held up the card hesitantly. The angel had big white, feathery wings, white hair, mini purple wings sticking out of the side of her head, a purple choker, a white and purple dress, and wielded a staff, about three feet, with clear ice crystals on either side.

"I might be out of the loo, but don't you guys think it's a little to be comparing ourselves to playing cards?" Tea asked.

"Maybe a little, but it's like grandpa says, it's not about the playing cards, it's about putting a little bit of your heart into anything that you care about. You know?" Yugi explained, and everybody nodded.

"So which card do you care about most, Bakura?" Yugi asked.

"This one is my favorite." Bakura held up a card, of an angel, half dark half light.

"Isn't that the Change of Heart card?" Yugi guessed.

"That's kind of a weird looking picture don't you think?" Joey asked.

"If you want to see how it works, we can have a duel right now, not for star chips, just for fun." Bakura suggested.

"Sure, after all this star chip stuff, it'll be nice to have a duel with no strings attached." Joey sighed. "

I agree, I think just a regular old duel sounds like a great idea." Yugi smiled. _Am I the only person that doesn't trust this guy?_

Bakura also suggested each of us to put our favorite cards in Yugi's deck, to make it seem like we were all playing. And since everybody agreed, I sighed and put my card in too. Bakura sat on one side of a tree stump, and the rest of us on the other, with a dueling mat on the stump. "

Before we get started, there's a little something I want to share with you all… Especially with Roxy and Yugi…" Bakura grinned mischeviously.

"What's that?" Tristan asked.

"Oh, you'll see." Bakura grinned. A tinkling sound filled the air, and the temperature dropped.

"What's he doing?" Tea whispered.

"This is getting freaky…" Joey gulped.

A weird shaped Ring, appeared on his shirt, strung around his neck with a string. And the same symbol of both Millennium items Yugi and I possessed was on the ring.

"No, it can't be!" Yugi's eyes widened.

"Another Millenium Item!" I gasped.

"Yes, and the magic of my Millenium Ring will take us to the Shadow Realm!" Bakura's voice was deeper, and more sinister sounding. The forest around us morphed into a dark shadowy place.

"Man, I hate magic!" Joey gulped.

"Why are you doing this,Bakura?" Yugi asked.

"You have something I want, and I aim to take it!" the Ring glowed, and I felt like I was being ripped in two, before everything went blank.

_

* * *

_

Yami Bakura

They fell onto the floor, their bodies motionless, their souls trapped within their favorite cards. I smirked, already feeling triumphant. _I was expecting more of a fight…_

"That wasn't too difficult, their souls have been locked away, and now after waiting for countless centuries, the legendary Millennium Puzzle, and Hourglass, is mine!" I reached for the puzzle first. And I found myself pinned to the ground, a knife at my throat.

"If you lay a finger on him, I'll personally stab you, ten… No, ten thousand times." I stared into the bright blue eyes, of none other than the spirit of the Millennium Hourglass. Her voice was menacing, but her face was kind and happy.

"Now, now, you don't have to get things ugly… I'm surprised you still protect him, yet you don't remember a thing about him, or you, do you?" I smiled, as she looked utterly confused, and heartbroken. That was my chance. I knocked the knife out of her hand, and it clattered to the floor. Then I kicked her aside. I stood up, and dusted myself off. "What's your name? At least you should have one, before I kill you." I smirked, advancing towards her.

"… Just call me R." The girl winced, as if each step I took was a stab to her heart. But she remained calm, and collected, not the least bit frightened of dying.

"That's pathetic. You don't even know your own name. Well, **R**, least you won't have the burden of worrying over your past when I... Take care of you." I reached into my pocket, and pulled out a knife of my own.

"That's not going to happen." A bright glow emanated from the Millennium Puzzle, and Yugi got up, but the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle was in control.

"Oh great, now I have to deal with two of you…" I groaned.

"Take us back to our realm, and return our friend's souls to their bodies… Now." Yami commanded.

"Hmph, fine, but only if you win, in a Shadow Game against me… But if I win, then I get both of your Millennium Items." I agreed grudgingly, and stuffed my knife into my pocket. R eyed me wearily, before grabbing her knife, and tucking it safely into a secret compartment in her shirt sleeve.

**

* * *

**

Important: I'll be calling the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle Yami, so everyone will know the difference. The spirit of the Millennium Ring will be called Bakura in this chapter, but I'll call him Yami Bakura later on. And just as a little warning, R has a sense of humor at the weirdest times…

_R_

"Bakura, what have you done, why have you taken us to the Shadow Realm?" Yami asked. "

Bakura? Bakura's no longer here." Bakura smiled evilly.

"If you're not Bakura, who are you?" Yami demanded.

"I am a thief and a stealer of souls, and I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items, you do remember the legends don't you? Whosoever wields all eight Millennium Items will possess power unimaginable! And before I'm done with you, both Millennuim Items will be mine!" Bakura smirked.

"That's not going to happen, whoever you are!" Yami declared.

"Please, oh, Ra, make BB lose!" I murmured. "Who's BB?" Yami looked confused. "Short for Bad Bakura." I replied, causing Bakura to anime fall and Yami to anime sweat drop.

"Let the Shadow Games, begin!" Bakura regained his posture.

* * *

Yami and I sat on the one side of the tree stump, and Bakura on the other.

"The first turn is yours." Bakura offered.

"And my first card, the Cyber Commander, Tristan's favorite!" Yami placed the card on the field in defense mode. The card glowed, and then a mini form of Tristan appeared on it, dressed up like the Cyber Commander. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Tristan?" Yami and I gasped.

"Huh, what a weird dream! Where am I, what's going on here? Ah!" Tristan looked our way and screamed.

"Bakura must have used his Millennium Ring to trap Tristan's soul within his favorite card!" Yami realized.

"Who's your little friend? He looks tough, but can he deal with this? The White Magical Hat (WMH)!" Bakura set down the card, in attack mode. (Tristan- 750 DEF WMH- 1000 ATK) "Now attack!" he commanded.

A magician wearing a white cape materialized onto the field. The monster charged in Tristan's direction.

"Aw man, I must still be dreaming, yeah that's right, this is all just a really bad-AH!" Tristan yelled in pain, as the WMH punched him. Tristan disappeared in a flash of red.

"No ,Tristan!" Yami looked absolutely devastated, and I felt the same way.

"We'll get him back… One way or another." I glared at Bakura. "Aw, looks like that cards been defeated, and your poor friend's soul trapped within it!" he chuckled.

"What happened to Tristan?" I demanded.

"He's gone, on his way to the discard pile, or the graveyard, as you call it in duel monsters." Bakura smirked.

"No, it can't be, Tristan can't be… Gone…" Yami gasped.

"When you duel in the Shadow Realm, the stakes are always higher, Yugi, you made a sloppy move and your friend paid with his very soul. Now which of your friends will you sacrifice next?" Bakura laughed.

I glanced at Yami's cards, and the only monster that stood a chance against the WMH was…

"Joey's favorite card, the Flame Swordsman!" Yami slammed the card down, in attack mode.

Joey appeared on the card, a few inches tall, and wearing a costume that made him resemble the Flame Swordsman, wielding a sword. He blinked a few times. "Hey what gives? Hey Yugi, AHHH!" Joey turned towards us, and screamed. "What the, you and Rox are giants! Aw man, I finally cracked!" Joey gulped.

"Ello!" I waved, with a bright smile on my face.

"Eh, you feeling alright, Rox?" Joey looked confused, and worried.

"Of course I'm ok!" I laughed. (To those people who are confused, Roxanna is usually cold and not cheerful, so Joey's wondering why she's so cheerful.)

"Joey, listen to me, your soul is sealed inside your favorite card, you've become the Flame Swordsman!" Yami explained.

"I'm the WHO?" Joey yelled.

"If I don't win this, we can't restore you to normal, but if you're defeated in this battle, you'll be carried away off to the card graveyard, just like Tristan was." Yami continued.

"Graveyard?" Joey gulped.

"So long story short, he needs to win the duel, to restore everything back to normal, with your help." I summed things up.

"You want my help, you got my help!"Joey said confidently. "You sure you're ok?" Yami asked. "Ok? I figure I lost my mind, but I'm going to go with it. Now who wants a beating- huh?" Joey turned, and his face showed utter shock, as he saw Bakura.

"Giant Bakura? Now I know I'm nuts, I'm like six inches tall, wearing a dress, about to fight my giant friend?" Joey shook his head.

"That's not Bakura, it's an evil spirit from his Millennium Ring, also known as BB- Bad Bakura." I nodded.

"Well, I didn't understand a single thing you said, but the part about BB… So here goes nothing! Ahhhh!" Joey charged, and sliced the WMH. "Say good-bye to the cat in the hat!" Joey grinned, and the WMH exploded.

Bakura growled, as his Life Points dropped. (Bakura Life Points- 1200 Yami's LP- 2000) (Flame Swordsman ATK- 1800 WMH- 1000 ATK)

"Wow, man, I did it, now what?" Joey asked.

"Now it's his turn." Yami looked over at Bakura.

"You're little swordsman got lucky last time, Yugi, but not this time!" Bakura growled, and placed a monster facedown, in defense mode.

My eyes narrowed, wondering what he was up to.

"Why'd he place that face down?" Yami wondered.

"Cause he's afraid of what Joey the swordsman will do to it!" Joey suggested.

"Hang on Joey, it could be a trap!" Yami said.

"I'm going in!" Joey charged at the card.

"WAIT!" Yami yelled. I face palmed.

"Joey, you're going to kill us all." I muttered. The card flipped up, revealing a Morphing Jar. My eyes widened. _That's not good!_

The black creature flung itself at Joey. "Huh sah! Chop!" Joey sliced the creature, and the card fell back. "Tah, dah!" Joey smiled.

"What a dolt." Bakura laughed.

"It was a Morphing Jar!" Yami realized.

"Huh, a Morphing Jar, did I screw up?" Joey gulped.

"Yeah, big time, Joey. When you attack a Morphing Jar, both players have to discard their entire hand, you know put the cards in the graveyard. Just be grateful nobody's soul card's in his hand right now." I sighed.

"Oh, sorry, Yug!" Joey kneeled and bowed, sounding absolutely ashamed.

Yami put his hand in the graveyard, and drew new cards. My eyes widened as he drew the Dark Magician and the Legendary Ice Angel. _This should be interesting… What'll happen when he plays it? And what happens if the Angel's summoned? _

"With a new hand, comes a whole new perspective, the game, ever shifting, new dangers surround every turn." Bakura smiled slyly, as he placed two monsters face down, in defense mode.

"The Dark Magician!" Yami placed the card on the field, in attack mode. And to my astonishment, Yugi emerged on the field as the Dark Magician.

I looked back and forth between the two, and managed to detect a difference. The Yugi playing the game was more serious, confident. The Yugi on the field was more kind, innocent. _So, Yugi's situation is just like Roxy's… _(I know you're not supposed to summon two monsters in the same turn, but who cares :P)

"Legendary Ice Angel!" The card glowed, and Roxy materialized, as the angel. "I'll also play a card that lets me revive monsters, Reborn the Monster!" the spell card glowed, and Tristan in his costume appeared on the field.

"Huh, what the, Joey, Yugi, Roxy, you guys dreaming this too?" Tristan gasped.

"Uh this ain't no dream, Tristan, this is just me going insane, this is just one big delusion." Joey sighed.

"But one second ago, I was up there!" Yugi murmured.

"Yeah if you're down here, who's up there?" Tristan looked at Yami.

"I don't know…" Yugi said. "Don't you?" Yami asked. "Well, I noticed that sometimes, when I duel, it feels as if someone is guiding me." Yugi recalled.

Yami nodded.

"And sometimes it's like I can hear a strong voice calling out to me from my Millenium Puzzle, an ancient powerful voice." Yugi continued.

Roxy looked surprised.

"Huh?" Joey said.

"Really?" Tristan gasped.

"I'm not sure what it's all about guys, but I'm pretty sure we can trust him, whoever he is." Yugi sighed.

"Hey, if the big guy is ok in your book, then he's ok by me." Joey grinned.

"Yeah, but what about the double Roxy's?' Tristan asked.

_

* * *

_

Yugi

Everyone turned towards Roxy, to see her glaring at the bigger version of her. The other Roxy merely smiled back, as if the two were opposites.

"Hi," the big Roxy looked at us, and smiled brightly. "And if it's alright with you guys, call me R."

"Hmph." Roxy turned away.

"It's like the two are opposites." Tristan whispered.

"Well, we can't worry about that, I'm gonna bash me some Bakura." Joey smirked.

"Hang on Joey, I was played so I have to move. Dark Magic Attack!" I yelled. The card rose up, revealing a Morphing Jar.

"No, another Morphing Jar!" I groaned. The creature exploded.

"We'll have to send all the cards in our hands to the graveyard again." Bakura smirked. (Again, nobody knows the difference between Yugi and Yami yet or Roxy and R, but just so that it doesn't get confusing, I'll call them Yugi, and Yami, and Roxy and R.)

"I'm sorry." I turned towards Yami.

"It's ok man, I did the same thing." Joey said. Yami drew his cards, and his eyes widened.

"No, the Magician of Faith!" he looked at the card.

"Hmm, isn't that Tea's favorite card? Do you suppose that her mortal soul is trapped within it? Hmm, I wonder. Maybe you should play it and find out. But then again, you don't know what I'm playing here, so you might be putting her in danger. A dilemma, and while you decide, I'll just activate this trap card, Just Desserts!" Bakura smiled wickedly, as he placed two monster cards face down, and flipped over a trap card .

"No!" Yami gasped.

"Uh oh… That's not good!" R gulped. A ghostly colored hand appeared, close to Yami's face.

"I think you'll find that it helps you come to grips with your situation." Bakura smirked, as the hand squeezed Yami's face, and he life points dropped. (Bakura LP: 1200 Yami LP: 500) "Just Desserts take 500 points from each of your monsters on the field, and you'll feel like each and every point has been ripped from your beating heart. But why haven't you lost?" Bakura's grin faded.

"The turn I'm summoned, I can change into a different type of card for that entire turn, and I chose to be a spell card, so I don't count as a monster." Roxy smirked. Even though Roxy managed to save us this time…

"Are you going to be ok?" everyone turned towards Yami, who was had his fist close to his heart, and shaking in pain. "Yes, but one more attack like that, and it's over!" he winced.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

Yami grunted, and set a card facedown, in defense mode. The card glowed, and lifted up the tiniest bit. Tea, who was dressed up as the Magician of Faith looked around. "Hey, what's up?" She smiled in our direction.

"Oh boy!" Joey gulped, and an anime sweat drop formed on all of our faces.

Everyone stood in front of Tea, trying to block her from view.

"Hey guys, don't you think it's a little early for Halloween? Huh, what the, what's this?" Tea looked at the staff she was wielding.

"Shush, Bakura, Yugi, and Roxy are big dueling giants, and are fighting for our souls!" Joey whispered.

"But Yugi and Roxy are right here!" Tea looked confused.

"Oh, well the big guy's not really me, but he's not really not me, uh…" Yugi fought for words to explain the situation. "It's complicated, but it has something to do with the Millennium Items, Bakura, Roxy, and I have. It's some kind of magic." Yugi sighed.

"Magic? So I'm not crazy!" Tea sighed with relief.

"Not unless we're all going crazy." Yugi smiled.

"Just think of it this way,Tea, there's two Yugi's. The cool one up there and the puny one down here. There's two Roxy's too, the nice one up there, and the mean one down here." Joey smiled.

Me and Yugi anime fell. "That's not how it works at all!" Yugi yelled.

"And who are you calling mean?" I growled, an anime vein mark on my head.

"Just a joke, relax!" Joey laughed nervoulsy.

"You forget that here, I have the powers of the Dark Magician." Yugi walked forward.

"Uh, Yugi, I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Tristan gulped.

"I'll show you who's puny around here!" he growled, and pointed his staff at a card.

I shrugged, and aimed my staff at the other card.

"Oh boy…" Joey sighed. The same monster materialized on both cards.

"Yugi, wait!" Yami yelled.

"Roxy!" R gulped.

"Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi held his hand up, and the monster exploded.

"Blizzard Storm!" I yelled, and my hands glowed. A vortex of ice crystals shot out of my staff, and disintegrated the creature.

"Alright!" Joey smiled. "Great job, you two!" Tea urged. I felt alright then, but a jolt of electricity arced through my body.

I grunted, and kneeled onto the floor. By the looks of it, Yugi was having the same problem.

"What was that?" Tristan asked.

"Whatever it was, it's making me go numb." Yugi winced.

"Hang in there!" Joey said.

"Yugi!" Yami yelled.

"Oh Roxy, you have to be careful…" R sighed.

"You can't attack the Electric Lizard without some rather shocking feedback. A lesson your two friends won't soon forget." Bakura laughed.

"All right soul stealer, I'll place my next card face down. And it's your move." Yami put the card, which I guessed was a trap card, on the field.

Joey and Tristan tried to push Tea's card down to hide Tea.

"Don't bother you fools, I can see her perfectly well ." Bakura laughed.

"Now I have all five of you right where I want you, helpless on the field, easy prey for my Man Eater Bug!" Bakura put the card face down, in attack mode.

"Man Eater Bug? Glad I'm a girl!" Tea gulped.

"Yugi, what's that card do?" Joey asked.

"The Man Eater Bug can automatically destroy one card on the field, as soon as it's flipped up." Yugi stuttered.

Everyone shivered. "Well that's certainly not good." Tea gulped.

"Guys, I really don't want to go back to that graveyard." Tristan sighed.

"Don't worry Tristan, none of us are going back, we'll destroy that bug before he plays it!" Joey said.

"You really don't know Duel Monsters well enough do you? The second you attack it, the card will activate." I explained.

"Graveyard here I come." Tristan sighed.

"What are you saying, that one of us is going to end up worm food?" Joey gasped.

"Well there's another way, and we're standing on it." Yugi said. Everyone looked to see the card Yami played on the field.

"Right the trap big Yugi played!" Tristan recalled.

"Right, but I'm afraid to use it, it requires that we sacrifice a creature." Yugi winced.

"You mean one of us ?" Tea gulped.

"Don't worry, Tea, I'll go!" Tristan volunteered.

"No way Tristan!" Tea yelled.

"Think about it, the Man Eater Bug is going to take one of us out no matter what we do, at least this way, I'm taking it out too-Ugh!" Tristan got interrupted, as Joey hit him in the stomach with the hilt of his sword. "I guess you disagree…" and he collapsed on the ground.

"You just got back from the graveyard, if anyone should go, it should be me!" Joey stated.

"Joey, wait!" Yugi yelled.

"You're being stupid, get back here!" I growled.

"It's too late!" Tea gulped.

Joey charged, and stood above the Man Eater Bug's card.

"How tough can this bug be?" He asked, and the card glowed.

The bug was rose from the card, and sent Joey flying into the air. Joey landed on the bug's back, and had his arms around the bug's neck, a sword blocking the jaws from destroying Joey. The bug flung around, growling.

"Big Yugi, use the trap, do it, do it, now! Please, I don't want my friends to get hurt! Sacrifice me!" Joey struggled to remain on the bug, as it thrashed around.

Yami nodded. "I'm activating a trap, sacrificing my Flame Swordsman to do so. The Horn of Heaven! Blasting it's Celestial Tune directly at your Man Eater Bug, obliterating it from the field, once and for all." Yami flipped over the card.

The bug and Joey started to glow. The numb feeling faded away for both me and Yugi, as the two of us slowly stood up.

"But Joey!" Yugi murmured.

"What's happening to him?" Tea asked.

"They're disappearing!" Tristan gasped.

_That Joey… Am I actually starting to worry about these guys? _

"Don't worry about me!" Joey yelled, and they exploded.

Everyone had looks of disbelief on their faces, and I struggled to keep my face normal.

"He's gone… Just like that, my best buddy's gone." Tristan's voice was strained.

"Don't worry, you'll soon be joining him in the graveyard. You can spend eternity together." Bakura chuckled.

"You know I change my mind, you're not a Bad Bakura, you're an Evil Soul." R growled, her voice dripping with venom.

"I hope you don't harbor any illusions about rescuing your friend Joey from the graveyard. You already played Reborn the Monster, the only way to get him back, and soon the Reaper of Cards will claim his soul, forever." Bakura smirked.

"Poor Joey, he sacrificed himself, he can't be gone…" A tear fell from Tea's face, onto the ground, and she glowed.

"Wait, she's the Magician of Faith! Her tear activated the special effect of her favorite card." Yugi gasped.

"That's right and the effect of the Magician of Faith allows me to bring back one card from the discard pile, and add it to my hand." Yami explained. "And the card I choose… Reborn the Monster, which I play now!" Yami slammed the card down, and Joey appeared.

He clutched his head and whimpered, "No, I don't want to 'insert crying noises' - huh?" He looked around, confused. "Joey!" Everyone sighed with relief.

"You're back!" Yugi smiled.

"Never do that again, you made us worry!" I playfully hit him on the back of his head.

"Ouch, ok!" he laughed.

"You waste your time and your turns rescuing these foolish mortals." Bakura sighed.

"My friends are never a waste of time. Make your move." Yami stated. "

I bet he's just jealous because he doesn't have any friends." R whispered, just enough so that I could hear.

"Oh I'll move, and you will lose. This is the play that will win me the match, and the two Millennium Items. First I'll play the Lady of Faith in attack mode, and then that card that will turn your friends against one another, the Change of Heart." Bakura held up the card.

"Change of Heart, isn't that Bakura's favorite card?" Yugi gulped.

"And a very magical card it is, with this card, I can turn you against your comrades. The very friends you sought to protect will now destroy." Bakura laughed.

"No, I refuse!" Yugi stated. "You won't have a choice in the matter, the Change of Heart card allows me to control any opposing monster, I just haven't decided to pick you or Roxanna yet." Bakura grinned.

"You know what, you're just some crazy person who has no friends and can't stand to see other people have them." I stuck my tongue out.

"Oh that does it!" Bakura growled.

"Leave the young ones out of this!" Yami growled.

"They're not part of this conflict!" R said.

"Why should I, by simply destroying them, I destroy you two as well. You're here to guide and protect the two of them? Then protect them from this!" Bakura slammed the Change of Heart onto the field. A glow blinded Yugi and I.

"Yugi, Roxy!" The rest of them shouted. When the light dimmed, my eyes widened at who I saw. _Bakura?_

(Up until now, I called Yami Bakura Bakura, but now I'm going to call Yami Bakura Y Bakura…)

"Bakura!" Yugi gasped.

"The real Bakura!" Tea yelled. He was on the field, looking a lot like the angel on the Change of Heart Card.

"So your soul was sealed into your favorite card too!" Yugi realized. "

I want to help, but we must act quickly." Bakura flew, and merged with the Lady of Faith. "I've taken over one of his cards instead of yours. I'll control her while you attack me. You can win against the evil Bakura." Bakura yelled.

"I can't, I'd be destroying you, sending you to the graveyard." Yugi gulped.

"I don't care, it's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit! Do it!" Bakura commanded.

"Be quiet!" Y Bakura demanded.

"I have a better idea!" Yami said, and his Puzzle, as well as the Hourglass began to glow.

"If the evil magic of Bakura's Millennium Ring can pull souls from people, perhaps the power of our Millennium Items can put them back." Yami continued.

Bakura blinked, back in his old body.

"But where's the evil dude?" Joey asked. "This can't be!" Y Bakura yelled, from inside the Lady of Faith's body.

"Ready Yugi?" I asked.

He nodded. "Dark Magic attack!" Yugi yelled.

Y Bakura screamed, as he exploded into mini particles.

* * *

We got back to the real world.

"You ok Bakura?" Yugi asked.

"I am now, thanks to you, and your friends." Bakura smiled gratefully.

"Where did you get your Millennium Ring?" Yugi asked. "

My father picked it up on one of his trips, he told me it's from ancient Egypt. I think that's where their all from. He was shopping in a merchant bazaar, when the Millennium Ring caught his eye. The man who sold the ring to my father said it had something to do with Duel Monsters. But that never made any sense to me, since the card game is new and the Ring is really ancient. When my father got back, he gave it to me. He felt I was destined to have it." Bakura explained.

"Oh, uh, Roxy can I ask you two things?" Yugi asked.

"Sure." I replied.

"Where'd you get your Hourglass, and is there a reason you're here at this tournament? It seems everybody has a reason, I'm here to rescue my grandpa, and Joey's here to earn money for his sister's eye operation." Yugi said.

"Oh, my adoptive father gave this to me, he found it during an exhibition in a tomb, but he couldn't find a name in the tomb. And as for why I'm here… Well I have some… Unfinished business with someone." I flicked a bug that landed on my pant leg away.

"Oh."

* * *

"I dreamt that Bakura went totally mental." Tristan yawned.

"Same here, last time I sleep with dueling cards under my pillow." Joey sighed. "

Sleep well guys?" Bakura smiled at them.

"Bakura!" Joey and Tristan yelled, and hugged each other, screaming.

"Hands off!" Tristan said.

"You grabbed me first." Joey stated.

The two glanced at each other, and jumped away.

Everyone started laughing, and I even cracked a small smile.

"I dreamt we were dressed as duel monsters, and there were two Yugi's and Roxy's!" Tea frowned.

I scratched my head, and the night was pierced with a scream.

"What was that?" Joey asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, we'll face it together." Yugi said, as we ran towards the noise.

I stopped, and my hourglass glowed. _Another vision, at this time? _

_Vision: It was pitch black, and I couldn't see a thing… When the darkness was destroyed by a glowing white sword._ I blinked, and saw that the others were already ahead of me. No time to think about the vision now. I shook off the feeling that something bad was going to happen, and ran to catch up with the others.

* * *

**Author's Notes: So… Yeah. Hope you liked the chapter! Reviews are appreciated. I know… It's kinda long, isn't it?**


	4. Chapter 3 True Fear, Arsonphobia

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story…

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case.

**Chapter 3- True Fear, Arsonphobia**

_Roxanna_

All of us ran towards the area from which the scream came from. It was a clearing in the forest area, where a dueling platform stood. Mai was being lowered from the arena, and a large man wearing a blue hat walked towards her. Just seeing it caused me to fill with rage… Not the person. The hat. Seeing it brought up some unpleasant memories… Oh how it mocked me.

"Mai, are you ok?" Yugi asked.

"You're too late." Mai sighed.

"Too late for what?" Tea asked.

"Is this sideshow freak giving you a hard time?" Joey asked.

"That's right, just like Pegasus pays me to do, root out all the dueling filth on this island, and dispose of it!" the man grinned, causing me to dislike him even more.

"Doesn't that make you a garbage man?" Tristan mused.

"This is no joke, Panik's one of the island's Eliminators and if you don't get out of here, he's going to do to you what he did to me!" Mai insisted.

"What's an Eliminator?" Yugi asked.

Panik grabbed Mai's dueling glove, and raised it in the air.

"Look this is what she means, check out her dueling glove, not a star chip left." Panik grinned.

"But that would mean she's been disqualified!" Tea realized.

"You're out Mai?" Yugi gasped.

"I am… It all happened so fast. The way Panik duels… I just lost it." Mai looked at the ground.

By now I was shaking with anger. _This guy's personality is a mix of everything I hated in a person. _

"She was one of my easiest victims yet!" Panik laughed, and pushed Mai towards us.

"You creep, there's no excuse for pushing a girl!" Joey was going to run at Panik, when Bakura and Tristan held him back.

"Calm down Joey, I know how you feel, but that guy's more than twice your size!" Bakura reasoned.

"I could take him!" Joey growled.

"You know, I wish I could snap his neck in half…" I scowled, and subconsciously reached for the knife in my shirt sleeve.

"Ah, you must be Roxanna Hylkio. I've heard a bit about you from Pegasus. But ever since that tournament… You've changed a lot haven't you?" Panik smirked, and my eyes widened for a second, caught by surprise. But that soon turned to anger. Oh, that did it. The thin strand of patience I had snapped. I lunged at him, my knife in my right hand, but was held back by Joey and Tristan. The knife fell to the ground.

"Let me go!" I growled.

"Hey, Rox, don't stoop down to his level." Tristan insisted. _No, I would be doing a lot of people a favor by killing him._

"Roxy, fists aren't the answer, violence won't solve anything." Yugi said. _Oh, it sure would!_ "I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life, and I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with them." Yugi continued. _Beat the ever loving crap out of them?_ Yugi walked forward. "You have to stand up to them!" His puzzle glowed, and in that blinding flash of light, Yugi had changed. Just like I did with my hourglass.

Yami glared at Panik. "Now let's see you try your intimidation tactics on me, Panik! I don't scare easy especially when I'm standing up for my friends, so let's duel!" Yami stated.

"I still say I should beat the crap out of him…" I pouted, my anger subsiding a little. "

You twerp, I'll eliminate you, just like I did her, tell him how I trounced you!" Panik grabbed Mai's arm once more.

"Please, Yugi!" Mai said, a pleading look on her face.

"Let her go, Panik! If you're looking to bully someone, try bullying me! Playtime is now over, Panik, it's time to duel!" Yami commanded.

Yugi got up on one side of the field, and Panik the other.

"Alright, Yugi, show Panik how we deal with thugs like him!" Joey cheered.

"Yugi, huh? It must be my lucky day, Pegasus has promised a generous bounty to the Eliminator that defeats you. Which reminds me…" Panik pressed a button, and a metal cage popped out of the arena, and clasped itself around me, before moving onto the middle of the field.

"Oh great, I'm stuck in a cage." I groaned, and then I remembered my vision. I dug into my pant leg, and pulled out a card, The Swords of Revealing Light. _Yugi might need this… _"Catch!" I yelled, and threw the card at him. Yami glanced at it, before giving me a confused look, and placed it into his deck.

"Pegasus also offered a large sum of money if an Eliminator could get rid of you, Roxanna." Panik smirked.

"Panik, let Roxy go." Yami demanded.

"Sorry, but she's part of this too!" Panik grinned.

"Fine, I wager all of my star chips, to win Mai's back, and to set Roxy free." Yami offered.

"It's a deal, if you win, I'll give you all eight of your star chips, and let Roxanna go, the bet makes no difference to me." Panik said.

"What do you mean?" Yami asked.

"What I mean Yugi, is that when you duel against Panik, you're putting much more than just your measly star chips on the line." Panik pressed a button, and metal shackles chained themselves around Yami's legs. "Much more!" And some sort of flamethrower spewed flames at him. My eyes widened with shock, my voice disappearing. Tears started welling up in my eyes, as I racked in sobs. The flames disappeared, and Yami seemed unharmed, but I was still crying, unable to stop myself. The others yelled my name, over and over again, trying to get my attention, asking if I was alright. But nothing, nothing could comfort me now. Not when these giant flames reminded me of that day… That horrid, terrifying day.

_

* * *

_

~Flashback~

_I walked into the house, pleased with myself. The tournament had been so much fun! I couldn't wait for my next! That's when something felt wrong. Usually my adoptive father would call my name, knowing exactly when I would be home. _

_"Dad!" I called, guessing he was busy with work. But no answer. _

_"Anna… I told you. This is your punishment." A familiar, chilling voice laughed, and I gasped. _

_"Dad!" I yelled again, and received no answer. I ran up the stairs, to his work room, and the door creaked open. My eyes widened, and I let out a scream, full of horror, agony, and pain. Words couldn't describe how heartbroken I felt. My adoptive father was sprawled on the floor, his usually neat clothes were drenched in blood, a deep gash on his throat; it looked like he had been stabbed there. His eyes were lifeless, his hand still in a position, like he was writing a note, his mouth curled in a frown. The entire room was trashed, the desk broken into pieces, files and papers were everywhere. And right there in the corner… Lucifer. He stepped out, a smirk on his face, a knife with blood dripping from it. _

_"L-Lu- Luke? You did this?" I gasped, unable to process anything. No, it must be some mistake. Not my best friend, he must have just found the knife here, and would help me catch the murderer… _

_"Who else would?" He adjusted his blue baseball cap, before he took out a ligher. He clicked the button, and it ignited, the tiniest little flame, and held it in front of my face, making it feel hot. No, he couldn't have… This is just a nightmare… But I knew better. _

_"You see, you took something from me, well a lot. So I intend to get you back. I already took that precious gemstone your father got you… And well it's pretty evident what else I took away from you." Lucifer dropped the lighter on the floor, and the entire room was soon in flames. "And, Roxa? If you really want to get that gem back, then when there's another Duel Monster's tournament, then I'll duel you for it…"_

_Lucifer walked out of the room, laughing. Tears streamed out of my eyes, and smoke filled my lungs. I ran out of the room, and quickly into mine, grabbing all the belongings I could carry. Then, I just ran. As far away from the house, from my dad, from Lucifer, from my past. I just didn't want to think about anything. And to think people always used to tell me, 'Trust your friends, they'll help you in times of need', and that Lucifer was one of my best friends. _

_How ironic, it was my best friend that ruined my life, and left me feeling like this. I glanced back once more, at the burning house, and I felt instead of sadness, a searing hate formed inside me. I tore off the hairbands that held my hair into pigtails, and threw them towards the burning house. My hair whipped around me, and some sparks got caught in it. But I didn't care. I had a too many things I wanted to scream out. "Luci, I hate you! And when I finally beat you, I'll make sure you feel even more broken than I am now! I was a fool to ever believe you were my friend!" I closed my eyes, and even though I wanted to cry, no tears would come out. My eyes were dry, because I had no more tears to shed that day. _

_"You taught me an important lesson though… Friends can never last forever…" I whispered, and at last, I ran too far away from the house to see it… But the image would be forever burned within my memories. That's the day I decided… I could never trust a friend again. They'll just end up breaking your heart. So I surrounded my broken heart in a thick wall of ice. But broken hearts can't heal fast, and definitely not like that…_

* * *

And now, that scene kept replaying, and I kept crying until I ran out of tears. The crying turned into whimpers. "See, even your friend has started to panic, and she's not the one in your position." Panik smirked.

"Roxy, are you ok?" Yami asked. I looked up, my eyes were red from crying, but I put on a brave smile. "Yeah, don't worry about me…" I managed, but what I really wanted to do, was to curl up in a ball, and block out everything.

"Stop stalling, it's time to duel!" Panik started to grow impatient.

Panik placed his Castle of Dark Illusions onto the field, and it shrouded Panik's field, so that Yami couldn't see the cards Panik played, but Panik could see Yami's.

"Panik, that's weak hiding in the shadows just so you can win? You're nothing but a coward!" I yelled, all of my fear had converted to anger by now. I couldn't see his face, but I was guessing he was puh-retty mad, by the way he was breathing heavily.

"You little pest, I'll show you to mess with me!" Panik growled, and flamethrowers spat flames at me.

My eyes widened, and I felt myself freeze, unable to do a thing. Before the flames made contact, I closed my eyes, and heard the faint yelling of my name, and Panik's laughter. Then a faint glow could be seen from the part of my eyes I didn't close fully.

_

* * *

_

R

I opened my eyes, to find myself unharmed, other than my hair, which was singed at its tips. I brushed the tiny flames away, and glared at Panik, before turning to Yami. "You can do this, just remember the card I handed- er, threw to you! It'll help! And don't you even think about being scared at a time like this, I'm in the middle of the field where all the holograms are going to appear for crying out loud!" I yelled.

Yami nodded, and seemed relieved that I was alright, but at the same time confused. How could I be the same person who was terrified just by seeing flames before? Because I wasn't. But I didn't really know myself either...

I watched, as Yami's Life Points dropped, and Panik's remained untouched. When Yami insulted him, he just smirked, and pressed a button, causing the flames to almost burn Yami. "You uppity little creep, perhaps you should think twice before you insult someone who can scorch you with the touch of a button! You're afraid, Yugi, you're lost and alone in the dark, and I'm the big bad boogeyman, about to leap out, and give you the scare of your life!" Panik laughed.

And in response to that, Yami started laughing.

"If you could see what I have in store for you, you wouldn't be laughing!" Panik growled.

"But that's why I'm laughing. Because I can see right through you. You are the boogeyman, Panik, scaring children into being afraid of the dark. Until they realize the dark is nothing to be afraid of, like you." Yami smirked. "And I have just the card to lift up the shadows you cower behind." Yami continued.

"What's that?" Panik asked.

"It's just a little thing that'll teach you a lesson in broad daylight." Yami smiled, and held the card, so that Panik couldn't see the picture.

"You almost had me there, but we both know that card's nothing but a bluff! Prove me wrong, go ahead, let's see you give me my tough lesson!" Panik jeered.

_It's the card Roxy handed to him, I just know it…_ "Here it is, the Swords of Revealing Light!" Yami turned the card around, so Panik could see the picture. _If Yami gets to actually activate that card, the darkness will be lifted, and Panik can't attack for three turns… Just the card he needs! _

(**I'm skipping most of the duel, cause it's very boring writing duels... Sorry! **)

Swords of Revealing Light cut through the dark, revealing all of Panik's monsters, and stopping them from attacking for three turns. Panik activated his chaos shield, and combined it with his Castle of Dark Illusions, to make a strong barrier around all of his monsters. _If Yami doesn't think of something, then he can't attack any of Panik's monsters…_

Yami combined his Gaia, the Fierce Knight, and the Curse of Dragon, to make Gaia, the Dragon Champion. After one more turn, then Panik's monsters would be free. Panik placed Metal Guardian in front of the barrier. Yami placed his Catapult Turtle onto the field, and placed the Dragon Champion on it. The Dragon Champion was launched at the castle, and the flotation ring on it collapsed to the ground, but the castle remained floating in the air. The Dragon Champion was sacrificed, and Yami's life points went spiraling down to 300. Panik was going to attack, when he noticed that the Swords of Revealing Light was holding the castle up… And then the castle collapsed on his monsters, when the swords disappeared. The Chaos Shield caused the monsters to be unable to run, so Panik's monsters were destroyed, and his life points reduced to zero.

"Nobody beat's Panik! Nobody! I may not have defeated you, but I can still eliminate you!" Panik smashed the button, and flames shot at the two of us.

But me and Yami were unscathed, our Millennium Items protecting us. The same eye symbol appeared on both of our heads. A tall ring of fire surrounded the arena.

"You guys survived? But how can it be, it's impossible!" Panik gasped.

"My Millennium Item protected me from your cowardly assault, but nothing will protect you from… Oblivion!" Yami held up his hand, Mind Crushing Panik.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

Yami helped me out of the cage.

"Thanks." I mumbled, still a little shaken up by the whole 'fire' thing.

"Thank goodness you two are ok!" Tea smiled. _I feel like I relived a nightmare, so no, I'm not ok_.

"I guess." I shrugged, but felt myself start to tear up again. But apparently nobody noticed, so I just wiped the tears away.

Yami walked up to Mai, and held up Mai's starchips, telling her to take them. "I'm sorry, but I can't take them." Mai smiled sadly.

"There's no point in arguing, she's way to stubborn. But if she'd rather be booted off the island, I'll take them!" Joey grabbed the star chips out of Yami's hand, and laughed.

"You think me losing all of my star chips is funny Joey Wheeler?" Mai yelled, obviously angry.

"I thought you didn't want them, Mai." Joey shrugged. Mai reached for the stars, and Joey held them up high, so she couldn't reach them.

"Give them back!" Mai demanded.

"Course you can have them, their yours." Joey placed the stars in her hands.

"Really, Joey?" Mai asked.

"Didn't you learn anything from this duel? You can't always keep your defenses up, cause it'll just get between you and the other people who are trying to your friends. So can't you let your shield down, just this one time?" Joey asked.

"Hmph, friends… See where that's gotten me in life! My best friend murdered my adoptive father, destroyed my house, ruined my life, and shattered my real personality…" I mumbled, feeling my hate for Lucifer grow even more.

"What did you say?" Joey asked.

"Eh, nothing." I shrugged.

"I'm such a sensitive guy!" Joey stretched and walked away.

"When you're not being a pain." Tristan joked.

"Which is most of the time." Tea added.

"Correction, 99.999999% of the time." I smiled, a smile that didn't go as high as the ones I used to make… But this was the widest I could muster.

"Ah, my adoring fans…" Joey sighed. Tea, Tristan, Joey, Yami, and I walked off.

"Yugi wait, I'll repay you for what you did today. You're the one that won these, so as far as I'm concerned, I still owe you. More than I've ever owed anyone… And when we finally duel, it'll be an honorable one!" Mai promised.

I winced. That last sentence she said… That was the same exact thing Lucifer said to me, at the tournament… A little bit before he took away everything I ever cared about. Which leads me to what I also learned from him: You think you know your best friend, but they only show you the side of them they want to show…

* * *

**Author's Notes: Yeah... I was absolutely depressed when I came up with the plot for most of the story... You confused? That's cause I haven't explained most of what happened between Roxy and Lucifer. But you'll understand sooner of later Anyway, hope you like the story, Reviews are appreciated. Thanks again. Arsonphobia is fear of fire…**


	5. Chapter 4 Colder than Ice

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story…

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. And language, at times… Mainly when Roxanna gets mad… So don't say I didn't warn you.

**Chapter 4- Even Colder Than Ice**

_Roxanna _

Tea slept in a tent, and Joey and Tristan slept by the tent, Joey, using a log as a pillow. Bakura, Yugi, and I were still wide awake. The two guys sat next to each other, while I kept a bit of distance between us. Being with them for a few hours didn't mean I trusted them fully yet.

"Roxy, your hair… The tips are blue." Yugi pointed awkwardly.

I glanced at my hair, and he was right. The tips of them were a dark shade of blue. Oh great, I forgot… The flames singed my hair. "Oh, my hair? It changes color depending on pressure, heat, and moisture… I'll fix it." I reached into my bag and pulled out a bottle of water. I dumped a bit in the palm of my hand, and rubbed it against the tips of my hair really hard. Almost immediately, it turned to its usual grey.

"That's very… Odd." Bakura laughed nervously. Then I glanced at his Millennium Ring. One of the many points on it was floating and glowing an eerie gold glow.

"Bakura, is it just me, or is your Millennium Ring glowing?" Yugi asked.

"If it's not, then we're both hallucinating." Bakura gulped, and held up the ring.

"That's kinda spooky don't you think, the way it's pointing like that?" Yugi asked nervously.

"It almost looks like it's being tugged towards Pegasus' castle." I observed.

"Why would it do that?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know… But it did the same thing the day I met you," Bakura recalled. "I just got transferred to your school. I was watching you guys play Duel Monsters, when suddenly my Ring started to glow, and pointed right towards your Millennium Puzzle."

"So your Millennium Ring can find other Millennium Items?" I guessed.

"But why would it point to the castle?" Bakura wondered.

"Because of what's inside the castle, Pegasus' Millennium Eye. That's what took my grandpa's soul…" Yugi's voice trailed off, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I knew only too well the feeling of having your loved ones taken away from you by force. I clutched my hand into a fist. _Lucifer…_

"It's all kinda scary, eh Yugi? Pegasus grabbing souls with his, and I'll never forget when mine took us all to the Shadow Realm…"Bakura shivered.

* * *

I sat at a top of a tree branch, thinking about the past few days. _So these guys seem nice… But so did __Lucifer__. And what did __he__ do? Kill my dad, and stole one of my most treasured belongings, made me the awful person I am today… I can't trust these guys… I wonder if Seto's doing ok…_ I pulled out something from my pocket. It was a locket, the same size, and shape of a Duel Monster's card. I pressed a button on the side, and it opened up, revealing two pictures, one of Mokuba, and one of Seto, when we were at the orphanage. _Does he even remember me? Will he even recognize me, after all, I look totally different… _My thoughts were interrupted by helicopter blades whirring around. The wind whipped leaves and sticks around, and everybody woke up.

"Some of us are trying to get some shut eye, you insensitive jerk!" Joey grumbled.

"What is that?" Tea poked her head out of the tent. The copter landed, and to my surprise, it was Seto that stepped out of the copter. "It' Kaiba!" Tea gasped.

"What's he doing here?" Joey asked.

"I don't know, but it looks like he means business." Tristan whispered.

Yugi walked up to him, and I followed, a little uncertain. Yugi handed Seto his deck, which he seemed to have lost for some peculiar reason.

"I haven't seen you since our duel Yugi. And you are?" Seto glanced at me, obviously not recognizing me. I felt disappointed, but I expected this to happen.

"Oh, this is Seto Kaiba, and this is-" Yugi started to introduce me, but I cut him off.

"I can say my own name, but thanks, Yugi. Hi, would the name Roxanna Hylkio ring a bell?" I turned toward Seto, waiting to see his reaction. It was priceless.

His eyes widened, with surprise, and he gawked. Then he regained his posture, and narrowed his eyes. "You expect me to believe that?"

I took out the locket, and pressed the button, to reveal the two pictures of him and Mokuba. "That good enough for you?" I asked.

"Roxy… What happened to you?" Seto looked absolutely confused, and if I were him, I probably would be too.

"I don't need to hear all the, 'You've changed' blah, blah, blah." I shrugged.

"But you look totally different." Kaiba took out his locket, and opened up the thing, to reveal a picture of me, and Mokuba, when we were younger.

"Wow, wow, wow! You know rich boy?" Joey asked and everyone gathered around, to look at the picture. It was a little girl, with black hair, tied in two pigtails, with brown hair, and smiling brightly. Apparently, that little girl was me.

"Yes, I do. And as for me looking different, you know how I can change my hair color…" I twirled my hair with my fingers, and sighed.

"But then what about your eye color?" Yugi asked, noticing that my eyes were brown, instead of my current grey.

"Oh! I never told you?" I asked, a little shocked. By the blank look on Seto's face, I take it as a yes. "Uh well… I never really showed any of you my real eye color then… It's just my colored contacts… The color must have faded, and I didn't even notice." I took out my contacts, to reveal my natural eye color… A deep emerald green.

"You never told me, never mind that… But you're hair, it only turns grey when-"Kaiba looked worried, and I knew exactly what he was going to say. About the time that fire erupted in the orphanage, nearly burning me alive. A 'freak' accident. But I know better now. The cause of that, was none other than Lucifer.

"No, please don't talk about the past… And I don't want to hear that I've turned cold-hearted, because you changed too. Just leave me alone. I don't need to be reminded of my past anymore… Kaiba." I turned away from Seto, tears pricking my eyes. Just seeing him brought back memories, both good and bad. I replaced my contacts, turning my eyes back to those cold grey ones. Seto looked away, obviously hurt that I called him by his last name, than his first… The way I always used to.

"Hmph, fine." Seto started to walk away. I immediately felt guilty. I shouldn't have treated him that harshly, no matter how bad I felt.

"Hey, uh Kaiba, I was thinking since we're all heading to Pegasus' castle, you could travel with us, but you'll need a few star chips to start off." Yugi offered.

"Please don't be so naïve, this isn't just a game for me, Yugi. I'm going after Pegasus to save my brother, not so I could win a prize," Seto scoffed. "Have fun at your tournament." Seto continued walking away.

I winced. _What happened to Mokuba?_

"That snobby litte-!" Joey growled. Apparently he didn't like Seto. He ran up to Seto, grabbing him by his jacket lapels. "I can understand you wanting to save your little brother, but you're not the only one who has something important to fight for. Everyone here has something they came to do on this island, and if you want a piece of Pegasus, get in line or deal with me!"

"Well, what about Roxanna? What does she have to risk in this tournament?" Kaiba said, and I winced yet again.

_More than you think, or know…_

"Hey, don't go picking on Rox there!" Joey threatened.

"Nice grip, let me show you mine." Seto grabbed Joey wrist, and flung him onto the ground. Joey crashed, and groaned.

"That was uncalled for!" Bakura glared, and I gasped. Seto never hurt anyone, unless they were picking on me or Mokuba.

Yugi ran up to Joey, who was sprawled on the ground. He kneeled down. "Are you ok Joey?" Yugi asked.

"Check his pulse, Yugi!" Bakura suggested.

I slapped my hand on my forehead. "He wasn't thrown that hard…" I mumbled.

"I'm fine." Joey slowly got up on his hands and knees.

"Do you really think this tournament is going to stop me from finding Pegasus?" Seto inquired.

"Forget Pegasus, now you got me to deal with! Let's bust out the cards and get it ooon~!" Joey demanded.

"Hmph, why don't you look for someone who you can actually beat, like an infant, or a monkey." Seto smirked, and I felt a chill run down my spine. No, the Seto I knew would never be that rude to anybody…

Joey fumed, and stood up. "What did you say?"

"I don't have time for you… Loser." Seto turned his back, and started walking away again.

"You know what? Walk away, everybody knows you're not the champ anymore, ever since Yugi beat you!" Joey yelled, and Seto paused. "So do you want to prove me wrong, money bags?"

"Fine, but only if you use this new high tech dueling device." Seto held up his briefcase he was holding. Seto set it on the floor, and tossed a disk- like device at Joey.

Joey strapped the disk around his arm, and after following Seto's instructions, was ready to duel. Seto started off, by placing a card on his disk, and threw the disk in the space between the two duelists. The disk spun, and sparkles floated from it, until a hologram of a Battle Ox appeared. The beast growled, and I could hear it's breathing. _Hm, Seto's gotten better at technology, huh?_ Joey placed his card, and threw the disk out. It wasn't before long, that an Armor Lizard appeared. The lizard jumped for the ox, but had the ox cut the lizard's neck, and it disintegrated. The disk flew back into Joey hand.

A few more rounds went by, and Joey wasn't doing so well. I was doing my best to encourage him, but I really wasn't sure who I should have been cheering for. That's when I saw something moving in the forest. A blur of white, and yellow glowing eyes. It had to be him! I ran towards where I saw the movement, and heard the gang yelling my name. But I didn't listen.

* * *

I kept running, until I saw a clearing, with one person standing in the middle. He had short messy snow white hair, and gleaming yellow eyes. As usual, he wore long black pants, a dark blue jacket, with a white shirt, and of course, his blue baseball cap. He was one inch taller than Seto, so think of it this way. I'm a midget, and he's a giant. "Luci." I growled, calling him by his most hated nickname.

"Long time no see… Anna." Lucifer smirked, adjusting his baseball cap. Anna. That was the nickname he only called me… And the one I despised the most.

My shoulders shook with rage. "What do you want with me, you bastard?"

"Aw, Roxa, do you really have to be like that? You were my best buddy before!" Lucifer smiled, and started walking closer to me.

"Stop fucking with me, I want the truth, what do you want? Cut the crap." I seethed.

"Fine, fine. If that's the way you want it. I'll save you a lot of small talk. Here's the deal… That gemstone you want? You'll have to win it from me in Pegasus' semifinals. Because look who got himself ten star chips?" Lucifer showed me his duel glove, which was filled.

"Why you little son of bitch!" I wanted to run up to him, and give a good kick in the –err, you know. But Lucifer held up a lighter, taunting me with it.

"Aw, Anna, don't get all mad! What if I accidentally drop this little thing on the ground? It would cause such a huge fire, now wouldn't it? We don't want it to happen, again, now do we?" Lucifer flicked the lighter, and a small flame appeared.

"You wouldn't dare!" I glared at him, and reached for my backpack. Lucifer knew what I was reaching for, and smiled, before pocketing the lighter, and retrieving something from his other pocket.

"So that's how you want to settle things, eh? The old fashioned way it is. Do you want the normal rules?" Lucifer said, clearly amused.

"Yeah, first to have it at the other's throat." I replied, and grasped what I was searching for.

I pulled out a small, light, white rod, each tip had a light blue orb. It was about a foot long, and I pressed the top orb, and it grew longer, to about four feet. Lucifer smirked, and revealed a rod similar to mine, but black, with dark blue orbs. Both of ours were the same length, and we charged at each other. The staffs clashed, and neither of us let the other get the best of us.

"I see you haven't gotten worse." Lucifer smirked.

"And I see you've gotten slower." I replied at the two of us jumped back at the same exact time. _As to be expected… He taught me after all._

"But fast enough to beat you." The two of us aimed at each other, at our ankles, our shoulders, and ect. We knew each other very well. All of our strengths, weaknesses, strategies- We knew them all. Lucifer ran, and attempted to hit me in my left arm, the one I was better at fighting with. I deflected the hit, and tripped him. He fell to the ground, but smiled, and his eyes twinkled with amusement. My eyes widened, as I knew I fell right into his trap. A little too late. Lucifer hooked his foot around my ankle, and I fell. He whacked me on the side of my face and then stood up, and had his staff at my throat before I could react. "See, I always win." He then walked away, yelling, "Don't forget, if you want that gem back… You'll have to beat me."

I got up, and dusted myself off. My face stung, but it wasn't any major damage. I wasn't hurt much, except for a bruise on my face, but I felt the confidence I had of beating Lucifer waver and dim. I sighed, and walked back towards where the others were. I needed that gem back. It was one of the only things that survived after the fire, which my adoptive father had given me, the first thing he ever gave me… Only Lucifer took it.

_~Flashback~_

"_Hey, Roxy here. I found this on my last expedition." My adoptive father smiled, and handed me a gem, in the shape of an Egyptian eye. It was white right now, but when I touched it, the colors swirled to a bright pink. I almost dropped it in surprise. _

"_Wow, that's so cool!" I beamed, and clutched the jewel tightly in my hand._

"_Yeah, it changes color, depending on your mood. Since it's pink, you're probably happy. But, if it ever turns grey…" My father's face darkened, and he shook his head, as if trying to wipe some bad memories away._

"_What happens then?" I asked, still playing around with the gem. Nothing really bothered me._

"_That would mean that you lost your true self. That your personality just disappeared, or you died… But don't worry about that! I'm sure it won't turn grey for you in a very long time." My father forced a smile, I could tell._

"_Thanks, I love it! What's it called though?" I examined the gem. The color swirled into a pinkish orange-ish color. I guessed orange meant curiosity._

"_Well, it doesn't have an official name, so I just called it the Millennium Gem." My father shrugged._

"_Is it one of those Millennium Items you've been researching about?" I recalled._

"_Well, no. It just has the same symbol. Some say that it's meant to be used as a lethal weapon, according to some of the ancient texts. But I have no idea how to do that, after all, it's just a stone, how much harm can it do?" My father smiled._

"_Professor Night, you're needed at the lab." An assistant walked up to my father and showed him some papers. My father frowned. _

"_Alright, I'll be on my way. Take good care of this, ok?" My father ruffled my hair, before walking away._

* * *

"Rox, we were getting worried!" Yugi ran up to me.

"Oh, I'm ok." I smiled, but he looked even more worried, and brushed his finger on my cheek. I felt a sharp pain there, and I pushed his hand away. "What?"

"You've got one bad bruise there." Yugi frowned.

"It's nothing, I just ran into a tree. See, I'm really clumsy." I lied, and knew it wasn't a convincing one. But Yugi pretended not to notice, and just sighed.

"There's something you're keeping a secret. You can trust any of us." Yugi said.

"It's nothing." I sighed, and felt him looking at me with concern. _Darn it, I can't get anything past him!_

The others seemed to be comforting Joey, who I guess lost to Seto. I winced, as I felt a jolt of pain come from the bruise. _Lucifer… I'll kill you!_ My anger just exploded, as I tried not to show it. I clenched my hands into fists, and tried to calm myself down. I can take out all of the anger I wanted to during our duel. Then, he'll regret ever crossing my path. I ignored the pain, and forced a smile. "Really, I haven't felt this great in ages."**

* * *

**

* * *

Author's Note: And you thought Kaiba was tall enough? Well, Lucifer's taller! But do you think that's enough to scare Kaiba? No. Next time, you'll get a sneak peak at what happened to Roxanna, that fateful day of the fire. Why did she turn into the cold person she is? Well, you'll see. And no, it's not just because she started hating Lucifer. And special thanks to jeniashi for reviewing! You rock! Other reviews will be appreciated.


	6. Chapter 5 The First Fragment

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… I don't own this song either, it belongs to it's rightful owners! Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case.

And Tea bashers? There's this one tiny part where Roxy scares her, just a little.

**Chapter 5- The First Fragment**

_Roxanna _

"_Hey Anna, come here! Look what I found." Lucifer ran up to me, holding up a green Ipod, with plenty of scratches. It looked old, but we hardly had anything in the orphanage. _

"_Wow, where'd you find it?" I asked. _

"_Just sitting on the park bench, near the orphanage… Even though it's kinda battered, and only has one song… I thought you'd want it." Lucifer smiled, his hat hiding part of his blush, as he handed me the Ipod. _

"_I don't know what to say… Thanks!" I grinned, and took the Ipod, and went to look at the songs. He was right, there was only one. I clicked on the song, and let it play.(Friend or Foe- Tatu)_

_Is it too late?  
Nothing to salvage.  
You look away,  
Clear all the damage.  
The meaning to,  
All words of love,  
Has disappeared.  
We used to love one another,  
Give to each other,  
Lie under covers so,  
Are you friend or foe?  
Love one another,  
Live for each other,  
So, are you friend or foe?  
Cause I used to know.  
The promises,  
Hollow concessions,  
And innocent show of affection.  
I touch your hand,  
A hologram.  
Are you still there?  
We used to love one another,  
Give to each other,  
Lie under covers so,  
Are you friend or foe?  
Love one another,  
Live for each other,  
So, are you friend or foe?  
Cause I used to know.  
Is it too late?  
Nothing to salvage.  
You look away,  
Clear all the damage.  
The meaning to,  
All words of love,  
Has disappeared.  
We used to love one another,  
Give to each other,  
Lie under covers so,  
Are you friend or foe?  
Love one another,  
Live for each other,  
So, are you friend or foe?  
Cause I used to know._

_When the music ended, and looked over at Lucifer, with bright eyes. "Are you a friend or foe?" I laughed. _

"_Well, you should know…" Lucifer smiled slyly. _

"_You're definitely a friend!" I laughed, and hugged him. His smile faltered a bit. _

"_Whatever you say…" He muttered, a little uncertain. _

"_What's wrong?" I broke away. _

"_Eh, nothing… Race you to the swings!" Lucifer chuckled, and ran off, already ahead of me. _

"_Hey, cheater!" I laughed, and ran off after him, clutching my Ipod in my hand. _

"_I beat you!" Lucifer stuck his tongue out at me. _

"_Well, you cheated! Wait… I forgot!" I reached into my pocket, pulling out a book. "Here!" I handed it to him. _

"_What is it?" Lucifer flipped through the pages, surprised to see them full of hand written words, with a few pictures too. _

"_Well… You know I always liked to write and well, draw a little bit… So I wrote a book, and I thought you might want to read it!" I smiled._

"_Thanks!" Lucifer stuffed the book in his pocket. _

"_No problem... Best friends?" I held out my pinky, waiting for him to promise too. He hesitated, before sticking his finger out too. _

"_Best friends." We linked our pinkies together. Our childish laughter rang throughout the orphanage, so ignorant, so happy. Not knowing what would happen later on. And my smile was ten times wider than I could ever make nowadays._

* * *

My eyes jerked open, and I sat up. _Just a dream… But what made him change…? He was so nice before… My best friend, other than Seto and Mokuba_. I felt my bruise from yesterday. It was gone. I sighed with relief and then I pulled that same Ipod out of my pocket. The color had faded, into a dull grey. I plugged in the earplugs, and played the only song on the thing. I mouthed the words, a tear slipping out of my eye. One line in particular left me heartbroken. "_I touch your hand, a hologram. Are you still there?"_ _Is that all Lucifer was? A hologram? Was he ever really my friend?_ I wiped away the tears, and felt my contacts slipping out of place. _Darn it, these contacts start slipping when they come in contact with water! _I heard whimpering noises, and glanced over, to see Joey, crouching under a tree. He quickly sat up, and sighed.

"A dream!" he gasped for air, and then looked absolutely furious. His fist shook. "Kaiba, we'll see who eats the dog chow on this island!" Joey stood up. "Everybody wake up!" Joey yelled. _Way to ruin an already horrible morning._ Everyone woke up, groggily. But I just glared at Joey. He had just decided to get on my nerves, on one of the not so good times to do that.

"Joey… You don't really want to make me angry in the morning… Especially after I have a dream." I growled.

Tea walked over, and explained that Mai had to go. "And she said to give you this Yugi." Tea handed a note to him that read: _I owe you eight star chips. See you around! –Mai. _I found the note hard to read, because it was so smudgy.

"Kiss those chips good- bye." Tristan sighed.

"I don't know, maybe we can trust Mai." Yugi shrugged.

"And if not, we're still the team supreme right?" Joey asked.

"Right!" Everyone but me shouted.

"Not really." I mumbled, and stuffed my Ipod in my pocket, and slung my backpack over my shoulder. But the song kept playing in my head, in an endless loop, as if taunting me._ Lucifer… Why? I guess you never thought of me as a friend. I should have known. _

* * *

"I wonder how many duelists, there are left on the island." Bakura pondered.

"They shipped a couple dozen home yesterday." Joey recalled. "And I bet even more have been eliminated by now." Tea guessed.

"Ah, who cares!" I mumbled. I was in an even worse mood than I usually am.

"We might be next." Yugi grimaced.

"Not a chance, you and Joey have more a lot more at stake… Which reminds me, you do have a reason for being in the tournament right Rox?" Tristan asked.

"Well, if you're so keen on knowing, an old friend of mine has to give something back to me, something he took from me. And we decided that if I beat him in a duel, he'd give it back." I stopped walking, and kicked a pebble in front of me, sending it flying into the air.

"Oh." Silence fell over the group, as we walked a little farther.

"Well… Yeah. And we should be careful, the duelists should be stronger, since they survived the first round." Yugi broke the silence.

"Even stronger?" Joey gulped.

"Careful what you say, Yugi, you got Joey shaking in his sneakers." Tristan teased.

"What, you think I'm I scared little puppy dog?" Joey growled.

"Well, if the collar fits!" Tristan smirked, and the two were about ready to fight.

"Ok, break it up!" Tea blocked the two from strangling each other.

"Hey, you just bring on any duelist, and I'll cream him!" Joey held his fist up.

"Right, you gotta believe in yourself Joey." Yugi nodded.

"Or you'll just do worse than you usually do." I shrugged.

"Hey! You haven't even seen me in a full duel yet!" Joey yelled.

"True, but I heard you lost to Kaiba really badly." That shut him up.

"Did you hear that? I think we're being followed." Joey shivered.

"I think you're getting a little paranoid Joey." Tea teased.

"You've been hyper ever since you woke up this morning, man what the heck is eating you anyway?" Tristan asked.

"Bet he's still a little battered up from that duel with Kaiba." I joked.

"I'm tellin you, somebody's stalking us!" Joey looked nervous, and ran off.

"Where are you going?" Tristan asked. "To stalk them!" Joey yelled and he was out of our sight.

"I can't understand that boy at all." I scratched my head, and sighed.

"Well, I know Joey longer than you have, and I'll tell you this. He can be a real idiot at times." Tristan laughed.

"I noticed that the first day I saw him trying to sneak onto the ship." I shrugged, and felt the tips of my mouth start to arch up, forming the tiniest bit of a smile. The biggest I could muster, and my mouth was already hurting. I let my mouth fall to its usual straight line of indifference and continued walking. That's when it hit me. Why did Lucifer give me that Ipod? _He hated green. Absolutely loathed that color. And what color was that Ipod? Green, a deep emerald green, that matched the shade of my eyes exactly._ He never wanted to be my friend. He faltered when I told him we were friends. Hesitated when I asked him to promise. Even then, he was probably crossing his fingers, with his other hand, to make the promise meaningless. Tears threatened to leak out again, but I blinked them away. I'm not going to cry, anymore. I used up enough of my tears the day Lucifer decided to shatter my life into millions of tiny pieces. I've only managed to gain back less than half of them, and not all of them are pieced together. And even if I manage to piece all the pieces together, it'll never be the same as it was before. So two words describe me now: missing and broken...

* * *

"Joey's been gone an awfully long time." Yugi sounded worried.

"Maybe he got lost." I shrugged.

"No way, but maybe he was challenged to a duel." Yugi guessed.

"That must be it, I must have got on his case a little too hard about being scared, and now he's gone to fight a duel all by himself." Tristan sighed.

"Then we should split up, and find him." Bakura suggested. "Ok, Yugi, Tea, and Rox, you head that way, Bakura and I will go this way." Tristan pointed in to two roads, one that went left, and the other right. We all nodded, and ran off to our assigned areas. _That idiot, where did he run off to now?_

"Joey!" Yugi called.

"Joey!" Tea yelled

"Idiot! Wait no, Blonde! Um, let me try that again… Joey!" I shook my head. Names weren't my strong point, and now was not a good time for that to pop up. While Yugi and Tea looked by a waterfall, I jumped into a tree, and scanned the area. No sign of Joey. "Joey!" I yelled. If he were in a duel, we'd probably see the huge arena by now. But no sign of one. My hourglass started glowing. _Ugh, not this again!_ _Vision_: _Dark. Damp. Skulls. Candles. Coffins. _I stumbled to gain my balance, but failed, and landed on the grass with a loud thud. "Ow…" I mumbled, before standing up. "What was that all about?" I scratched my head, trying to piece together the bits of pictures I saw flash through my mind. But I didn't know why I would see that…

* * *

Our two groups met up with no sign of Joey, and Tea picked up something from the ground. "Look, it's Joey's wallet, with a picture of his sister, Serenity!" Tea showed the yellow wallet to the rest of us, and inside a picture of girl with brown hair.

"Joey would never be careless enough to lose that, his sister means everything to him! This is starting to sound like foul play." Tristan remarked. Like some force was dragging me away, I walked forward towards a cave… That seemed to be what I envisioned.

"Guys, there's a cave here." I walked in.

"Wait, Roxy!" Yugi shouted, as the rest of them ran to catch up with me.

Bats flew around, screeching, and we walked in, to see two coffins in front of us. "What is this place?" Tristan said in awe.

"A cave." I answered.

"Be careful, this place could be a trap." Yugi warned.

"What's up with those coffins?" Tea walked up to one, and Bakura walked up to the other.

"Uh, I wouldn't touch those guys…" Yugi sighed.

"Don't be silly, it's just a-" Tea was cut off, as the chains attached to the coffins started to move. The coffins stood upright, and opened up to see a skeleton in each one. The skeletons fell onto Bakura, and Tea, who ran around screaming, until Tristan and Yugi made the skeletons fall onto the ground. I walked over and picked up a skull, examining it with curiosity.

"Wonder who the dead people used to be." I threw the skull into the air, and caught it repeatedly.

"And you're not scared of this at all?" Tea gulped.

"No… See? Perfectly harmless." I held it up to her face. She let out an ear piercing scream, and I pulled the skull back. I think my eardrums blew. _Wow, you want us all to go deaf, Tea?_

"Sorry, I didn't know you were scared about this kinda stuff." I shrugged, and dropped the skull onto the ground. _Gees, are all girl scared of this stuff? It's just dead things, so it's not like it'll go try to eat you or something. _

"Are you scared of anything?" Bakura asked.

"Eh, depends. You'll see I guess, once you know me. You already know I'm terrified of fire." I sighed, and recalled two things I'm scared of: fire and the feeling of being let down. Because I never know what'll happen, to me, to my friend, or family. Fire is only threatening to me, when there are large amounts, or when someone is wielding a match/ lighter. And to think, I always loved to watch the fire crackle in the fireplace with my dad. I closed my eyes, and allowed myself to remember his face, a face I wouldn't see in real life…. Only in pictures and my memories. And he died, all because of me.

* * *

Everyone ran deeper into the cave, but no sign of Blon- I mean Joey. That's when we all noticed Bakura was missing too.

"Ah!" It sounded a lot like Bakura, screaming about something from a distance.

We all turned towards the direction, and the screaming continued.

"Help me!" Bakura came into view, a skeleton on his back.

The others eyes widened, and they screamed in fear, before running away. I sighed, and followed, a few feet behind Bakura.

"Help, get this thing off of me!" Bakura pleaded. But of course, none of them paid any attention to him, and kept running.

In the end, Tristan got the skeleton off of him, and crushed the skull with his shoe. Yugi, Tea, and Bakura lay on the ground, utterly exhausted. I stood there, and sighed.

"You guys can be scared so easily." I laughed.

"Puh- lease. You're the one to talk? You got scared of fire." Tristan glared.

"There's a good reason behind that." My face darkened, and Tristan let the subject drop, sensing my unease. "Well, we have to decide on which way to go first." I pointed at the fork in front of us, which split to two different caves. Bakura, Yugi, and Tea stood up, but Bakura's foot pushed some sort of switch on the floor. "Oh great, what did you do now?"

A rumbling sound grew louder, and everyone gulped. Bakura covered his mouth, scared out of his mind. Then, a huge boulder came into view. Everyone let out a scared scream, before running for their lives, down the cave to the left. The boulder was close behind us.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Bakura kept muttering.

"Hey, Rox, I thought you weren't afraid of anything?" Tristan couldn't help but use this moment to taunt me.

"Being afraid and being suicidal are two different things!" I glared.

And then, Bakura tripped, and the boulder ran over him. _Oh great, I'm going to die, getting smashed by a boulder. Well, at least that'll save me the trouble of worrying if Lucifer's the only one who'll show up at my funeral. Knowing him, he'll be smiling the entire time, but disappointed that he wasn't the one to kill me._

The remaining four of us kept running, until we reached a dead end.

We reached the dead end, and Tristan decided he was suicidal. "I'm going to punch that boudler!" _Uh, someone forgetting that you can't stop a two thousand pound rolling stone just by punching it, you'll just end up breaking your hand and getting flattened…_

"Tristan. It's a boulder." I replied, but that didn't stop me from reaching into my bag, and pulling out my sword, about three and a half feet long. The hilt was gold, and the blade was made of one of the best quality steels. Another gift from my father. "Leave it to me." I swung the sword at the boulder, and to everyone's surprise… It exploded. Not joking, it just freaking exploded, into tiny bits of rubber. _What the-? _It was a balloon! And on the ground, was a speaker… So I pieced everything together, the speaker made all the sounds, to make it look like it was a boulder. I glanced back at everyone, who looked at me with a fearful expression. "What?"

"You have a sword?" Tea stammered, glancing back from my sword to me.

"Yeah so? I have a sword, a staff, a knife, and a bow and arrow." I frowned, trying to recall all the weapons I had with me. Ah, good memories. Each one was given to me by my adoptive father, except for the knife. That was made by yours truly. And just for a little fun, a pretended to swing at them, and all of them flinched. Tea squeaked, and I felt kind of bad. The old me would never scare people like this.

"Uh… None of us expected you to have one, I guess." Yugi laughed nervously.

That's when we finally remembered Bakura. Tea walked over to a traumatized looking Bakura, lying on the cave floor. "You ok, Bakura?"

"Pegasus loves toying with our minds, doesn't he?" I sighed, and stuffed my sword into my backpack, to keep it safe. I had a bad feeling that I was going to need it soon, but that was ridiculous. There's nobody who could beat me, if I used any one of my weapons. Except maybe Lucifer, he always had a way.

We finally reached Joey after searching endlessly through the cave. He was in the middle of a duel, in a dueling field inside the cave, which was surrounded by tombstones, skulls, and candles. The person dueling him was a short kid who looked a lot like a zombie with blue hair. Behind the kid, there were three other people. One person was a guy with sunglasses and a United States flag bandanna tied on his head. Another had orange hair, and wore glasses. The last one was tall, with spiky black hair.

"What happened?" Yugi asked.

"Those creeps ganged up on me, and forced me to duel here." Joey sighed.

I was going to help him out of the sticky situation, but I saw something in the corner of the cave. A glint of something milky white. And I knew what it was immediately. The Millennium Gem. I walked over, but was horrified to discover that it was only a third of the actual gem. The rest was gone, probably with Lucifer. _He… He broke it! _My face turned red with anger, but I had to calm myself down. I really wanted that gem back but… I didn't dare touch it. Because I was afraid, that my worst suspicions would be true. That I really had lost my real personality. But I had to know. I reached out, and cupped the broken gem in my hand. The colors swirled, until it changed… Into a faint grey. My face fell. _I knew it… I'm not anything like I used to be… _A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt exhausted. My hand clasped around the gem, and my eyes drooped. The world around me spun, and I felt dizzy, disoriented. The last thing I heard and felt was my head thumping onto the floor, in a loud thud.

_Yugi_

I saw Roxy fall down, and I ran towards her, wondering what happened. "Roxy, wake up!" I urged, but she lay on the ground, motionless. I reached out, and touched her forehead, only to jerk back. It felt like I had touched a hot stove, and a spark of electricity arched through my arm, turning it half numb. My hand was red, just from slightly brushing my fingers against her face. Roxanna's face was red, and her breathing uneven. Sweat formed at her forehead, as if she had a really high fever. She looked like she was being tortured, her facial expressions showing pure agony, occasionally sadness. "Roxy…" I murmured, and managed to prop her against the wall, without being scorched. Her hand was clamped around something tightly, and I didn't dare try to pry it away, or I might have burned myself again. I managed to wrap my jacket sleeve over my hand, and placed it over Roxy's without getting scorched. "What is going on?" But she didn't answer, and only continued panting, struggling to get air.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

_I woke up, and looked around. Everything was blank. The floor, the air… Everything was pure glowing white. "Where am I?" I asked, and continued walking, but everything always seemed the same. What was going on here?_

"_Roxanna… You finally found it." A cheerful voice echoed around me. It seemed so familiar, yet I couldn't place exactly where I heard it before._

"_Found what? A fraction of the gem?" I scoffed. It was nothing, and I felt like a failure to lose the gem to Lucifer that day. _

"_No… You found it. Look." The voice insisted._

_I looked around, and saw something that wasn't there before. A glow, up ahead, that seemed to give off warmth. So I ran, closer to the glow, and whatever I had found. My eyes widened, and I stopped, when I saw what it was. Just a small red heart, with a faint red glow, that floated in mid air. But when I looked at it, an image rippled onto the surface of the heart, showing a picture of me smiling, running next to my adoptive dad. That picture was lost in the fire, how did it? I looked up, just to get away from the image. A snow white dove flew above me, circling around my head, and landed below the heart, and did a little chirp of happiness._

"_You found a piece. A piece of your personality." The bird's beak opened, and words flowed out of it, the same upbeat voice who told me that I found something._

"_Wait, what do you mean?" My eyebrows arched as I looked confused. Nothing made sense anymore. I was starting to think I was going insane._

"_When a person possesses this 'Millennium Gem' as you call it, it's both a blessing and a curse. The gem, even if incomplete can transform into four weapons. But, at a cost. If the owner's gem is stolen, or lost, then the owner's original personality is trapped within the gem, until the owner reclaims it. Also… When the owner finds the gem, she or he will immediately faint. Whoever makes skin contact with the owner first shall be linked with them. So the bearer of the gem will always feel pain when they do, and always be able to find them. But if the owner is harmed, the other person will know, but not feel pain. Anyway, the day Lucifer took the gem away, your personality was sealed within it. That's why you're like this." The dove continued, with it's beak ajar, it's eyes with a distant look in them._

"_Oh just great, I get to feel someone else's pain, along with my own! And now I found a piece of my personality?" I asked._

"_Yes." The dove nodded._

_My eyes narrowed. Should I trust this bird? After all, this could very well be a trap. "Who are you anyway, and how do you know this much?"_

_The dove glowed, it's mood changing to a depressed one, like it was missing something too. "Me? I am only a memory fragment of the person who was the original bearer of the gem. Nothing more. Some could call me a guide of sorts." _

"_Then why are you a dove?"_

"_Oh, you like to joke around, don't you? Because, I'm not supposed to show you my true form and birds have taken a, ah, liking to me over the years. It's complicated. But you can trust me, don't worry." The voice laughed. "Now go claim your personality, it belongs to you. And I have feeling you've been searching for yourself for a long time."_

_Something about the person or, uh, bird made me automatically trust her. I hesitated, before reaching out my hand, grasping the heart. It shined brighter, and dissolved into tiny red sparkles, that swirled around me, surrounding me in a small veil. The sparkles slowly disappeared. I closed my eyes, and could almost feel as if something missing in me all along was finally replaced, somewhat. Something in my heart mended slightly, but enough to make me feel a whole lot better._

"_Wait, how do I activate the weapon in the gem?" I asked, remembering what the bird said about the gem being a weapon._

"_Ah, well… You'll know when the time comes." The bird promised._

"_Fine… What now?"_

"_Now go, go back to your world, your friends are getting worried." The dove seemed to almost remind me of someone, but before I could ask, my vision blurred. "Don't worry, you'll see me again, maybe a little different, but still me, if you find another piece of the gem." The voice was a whisper now, as I drifted off, to somewhere else._

* * *

My eyes opened quickly, and I moaned. It felt like I spent an entire day at the beach without any sunscreen. And my face turned red with embarrassment, as I found Yugi's hand over mine. _So he's the one I share a bond with now?_

"Roxy, you were worrying us!" Yugi sighed with relief.

"I'm fine." My face turned redder, but I got up, and stuffed the gem fragment in my pocket. I glanced back at Joey, who seemed to just have won.

Now, the gang of people start to walk away. "Hey, Bandit Keith, next time, duel me face to face!" Joey said, and the guy with the bandana paused.

"Duel Monsters is about keeping your opponent off balance, dweeb. Winning is all that matters, not how you do it." The guy, Bandit Keith smirked, and laughed, his flunkies following him.

Joey got down from the arena, and started apologizing.

"Oh, you got us all worried!" I ran up, and hugged him, which seemed to surprise him.

"Why are you in such a good mood, Rox?" Joey ruffled my hair, a little bit uncertain. As if he didn't really know me. Which was true, after all, I didn't even really know myself.

"If you don't want me to be like this, I can be mean and not so happy again." I joked, putting on my fake mad look. But my heart wasn't into it.

"No, on second thought, be happy and nice. You're much better that way." Joey laughed.

"Yeah, you do seem a lot more cheerful." Tristan playfully punched me in the arm.

I smiled evilly, and punched him back, hard. He yelped, and grabbed his arm in pain.

"Ow, what did you do that for?" Tristan glared, as the rest of us laughed. But all the same, I smiled only as wide as a fourth of how much I could smile when I was younger.

(Star Chip Count: Joey- 8 Yugi- 6 Roxanna- 10) I reached for my backpack, which seemed to have fallen onto the cave floor, and slung it over my shoulder. But it felt lighter than usual. I shrugged, figuring my mood was affecting my strength too.

* * *

We continued walking through the caves, until sunlight could be seen outside. I smiled. Finally, we were going to be free! All of us ran towards the exit, but a shadow fell over the exit, and something blocked the path, cutting us off from being able to get out. A huge boulder. I cursed, guessing who was behind this. _Bandit Keith and his lackies!_

All of us pushed tried to push the boulder away, but it didn't work. It didn't even budge. I went into my bag, and reached for my weapons, to see if I could destroy the boulder that way. But I didn't even brush my hand against any of my weapons. I stuck my head in the bag, and noticed that all of my weapons were missing. My eyes widened. _Bandit Keith must have taken them when I fainted! He must have had this as a backup if the kid lost, and decided not to take any chances… Now, we have no way of destroying this boulder, unless… I can actually find out how to work the gem. But how can I when, I have no idea how to use it? _My mood dropped, as I realized how hopeless our situation really was. We weren't going to make it out of this cave, unless we could find another way out… But that could take forever with the all the turns and dead ends. I reached into my pocket, and felt the cool surface of the gem. There was nothing else better to do, and I knew I had to try. I pulled out the gem, ready to try to summon some sort of weapon with it. Yep, I was going crazy. I threw the gem into the air, not knowing what the heck I was doing.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes: This took so long to write. *sigh* Anyway, thanks if you're a reader or if you reviewed. You guys rock!


	7. Chapter 6 Accidentally or Intentionally

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… I don't own this song either! Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

Don't be offended if you want to live in a cave. xD

**Chapter 6- Accidental or Intentionally?**

_Roxanna _

The gem fragmentwent up into the air, and spun around, almost like a coin. The piece started falling, and something weird happened. As if by instinct, I caught the gem with my left hand, and slapped it onto the wrist of my right arm. Under my fingers, I felt something shift and meld, and a soft gold glow could be seen from the gem. I blinked, and removed my fingers. My eyes widened in surprise, shock, and happiness. Attached to my wrist was the same exact sword as the one I usually used, except this one was strapped on my wrist, and it seemed almost newer.

A smile found its way onto my face. _Oh, I'm starting to like this gem. Wonder how I can get it to turn into other weapons? _"Guys, out of the way!" The others glanced back at me, and scrambled away, fearful of my sword and the mischievous glint in my eye. I pulled my right arm back, and charged at the boulder. The blade crashed with the stone, and sent a jolt down my arm because of the force of the impact. I fell back, my arm numb. But no luck, the boulder only had the slightest of the dent in it. "Crap." I winced, and stood up, my sword was unharmed though. I noticed Yugi looked uncomfortable, and remembered. If I got hurt, he'd know.

"Nice try, Rox, but I think we're stuck down here." Joey smiled sadly, and put his hand on my shoulder.

"No, I'm going to get us out of here!" I growled and pushed his hand away. I charged at the boulder, but like the first time, I bounced back from the impact. "On second thought, I take back what I said, I can't." I noticed the sword had started glowing, so I hid it behind my back. Nobody seemed to see, thankfully. I felt the sword shrink, and bend, back to its original fraction of the gem, which fell into my right palm. I stuffed the gem into my pocket. _Now I'm so glad I got that gem back! It's like a perfect assassin tool! Perfect! Now if I can just find Lucifer when I get out of this cave…_

"I don't think there's another way out." Tristan sighed, and your mood dropped even more.

"What if we get lost down here forever?" Tea started to panic.

Bakura for once wasn't nervous, he started walking down a path, holding his Millennium Ring in front of him.

"Hey, Bakura, wait up!" I yelled, and the rest of us followed him, wondering what was going on.

"Well, Yugi, Roxy, and I think that my Millennium Ring can track down other Millennium Items. Apparently it's tracking Pegasus' Millennium Eye right now." Bakura replied, and continued walking down the path, and we followed.

* * *

We passed by about ten different other paths, but Bakura kept leading us through to what I hope was the right way. Every now and then, my hourglass would give the slightest bit of a glow, as if trying to tell me something, but I had no idea what. I nervously stroked it, and the glowing stopped, as if listening to my commands. But something echoed in my head. _'The dove… Find the other two… And I'll remember.' _My eyes widened, as I remembered who the dove reminded me of. R. They both had the same happy tone, same voice, maybe even the same sense of humor. Just a second ago… R said something about finding the other two doves… What did she mean? Remember what? Millions of questions popped up in my head, and I couldn't answer any of them.

We continued walking down, and were starting to lose hope. The more we walked, the deeper we were into the maze of tunnels in the cave. I glanced at the walls, which seemed to be manmade. The stones were neatly carved. _Who in the right mind would ever live in a place like this? A mad person or somebody who loves caves. I think they're both about the same. _Bakura was getting a reading from the ring, and he ran, passing by maybe a dozen different paths, and we followed, until he stopped in front of an entrance of sorts. The room was a huge dueling field, decorated with pillars, and different symbols.

Two people, who looked a lot like twin brothers did a series of flips, before landing on the floor gracefully on their feet. They both had a different symbol on their head and seemed really confident.

"If you want to pass this chamber," The brother with the orange clothes said.

"You must face us in a duel!" The one wearing green finished.

"My name is Para!" The orange one announced.

"And I am Dox!" The green one declared.

"Oh, put together, it's Paradox, what a coincidence. Now may both of you please stop saying one sentence in two parts, it's very annoying." I rolled my eyes, and yawned. These guys were boring me.

"You must be Roxanna Hylkio." Para glared at me, before smiling, a wicked, evil smile.

"We have orders from Pegasus, so down you go." Dox smirked.

The two brothers both pointed their right thumbs down. At first I didn't know what was going on, until I felt the earth underneath me shift. I looked down, surprised to see the ground below me had disappeared. After less than I second, I registered what was happening, but too late. Gravity had decided it hated me. Then I plummeted down, maybe twenty feet. The back of my head smacked onto the ground, causing a searing pain coming from the back of my skull. I blacked out.

_

* * *

_

~Unconcious Dream (Author Note: XD)~

The forests, the small ponds… Ah, you got to love scenery. But…?"Hey, Mom, Dad, Ryan, are we almost at our new house yet?" I looked out the car window, as we zoomed past all the trees. We were moving to Domino City, and I was only maybe 8. Ryan, my older brother was about 10, and was sitting next to me in the back seats of the car. Our parents sat at the front, my dad driving, all of us had smiles plastered on our faces.

"_Soon, sweetie. Hey, I'll tell you when we're there so you don't have to keep asking all of us." My mom laughed. I had been asking that question since we drove from our little town not that far away from Domino every five seconds._

"_Yeah, Rox, stop being so impatient." Ryan laughed, and ruffled my hair._

"_Stop that, you know I hate when my hair gets messy!" I pouted, as my white hair stuck up in messy clumps. My natural hair color, a pure snow white, was my preferred color._

"_Oh come on, Rox, you ruin all the fun." Ryan laughed, as he messed up his own jet black hair to make me feel better for not being the only one with messy hair. He did that a lot, make me feel better. Probably the best big brother anybody could have. And I was grateful._

_We looked nothing alike, other than our green eyes. A trait that neither of my parents had for some odd reason. My father looked a lot like my brother, but with blue eyes, and my mother looked like me, but with brown eyes._

_The car started swerving out of control, and my dad seemed to be frustrated. "Hang on, the car's going berserk." My dad gritted his teeth, and my mom's face paled, as if she had just seen a ghost. "Don't panic."_

_Ryan grabbed my hand, and clamped onto it tightly. "Roxy, whatever happens, don't let go. No matter what."_

_I gulped, no doubt this was a really bad situation if Ryan was starting to worry. He never did that._

_The car continued to randomly go faster, and slower, randomly swerving left and right. My dad fought with the wheel, trying to make it obey, but nothing worked. It was as if the car had a mind of its own. The car suddenly sped into the woods, the leaves and branches scratching the windows. Ryan squeezed my hand even tighter, and I felt my circulation start to stop. But I didn't tell him to let go, I was too scared to._

_The car finally got out of the woods, but was heading to a rocky, dry area. The car went on high speed, and up ahead, was a cliff. My parents were both really pale now, deathly scared from what was about to happen. Ryan gave me a worried and sad expression, before he let go of my hand. My hand started relaxing, but I didn't._

"_B-Bro, what are you doing?" I asked, very scared now. Even I knew that falling off that cliff would probably mean death._

_He didn't respond, and forced the door next to me open. The wind rushed in, and I felt goose bumps rising onto my skin. "Hurry." Ryan unbuckled both of our seatbelts, and pushed me out the door. My eyes widened. I never expected him to do that. _

"_Ryan!" I yelled, as I flew out the door, and slid on the dusty ground. I skidded to a stop, and felt my skin burn from the friction, and my right arm was bleeding badly. I caught one last look from my brother, as he mouthed 'go' with a sad smile, like he was leaving me for good. I saw my parents, who flashed me their best 'I'm not scared even if I'm going to die falling off a cliff' look. The car dropped down the cliff. After a while, I heard an explosion and metal getting crushed, and tears filled my eyes. Tears of pain, and tears of sadness. My blood still fell onto the dusty ground, staining the ground, staining my hair. The pure snow white started to turn a dark shade of black, the same exact color of my brother's hair. My vision started to blur, from blood loss. I fell to the floor on my knees, and the tears never stopped falling. Then I heard yelling, lots of panicked yelling._

"_Someone reported a car accident, hurry!" _

"_Ok, get the rescue team, check for survivors."_

_The voices grew dimmer, and I felt a pair of strong arms pick me up, before I shut my eyes._

* * *

I sat up, my head throbbing with pain. "Ow…" I mumbled, and felt the huge bump on my head. It was nothing really serious, but there was the tiniest trace of blood at my finger tips. A tear slipped out of my eye as I recalled the day my real family disappeared. _A freak accident they called it. The car failed for no apparent reason, nobody could have predicted that. They told me there were no survivors, that they didn't want to show me the bodies, and I didn't want to see them either. Something told me that someone did that on purpose, and it wasn't Lucifer. He didn't even know me back then. But somebody wanted to mess with me, and when I found out who they were, I'm going to throttle them…_ _They managed to destroy my first real family, and made my hair stained black. I've only been able to get it back to that shade of white if I dipped my hair in ice water for like three hours, and it would turn back to grey in about ten hours. So yeah, whoever sabotaged our car, they ruined my life._

I looked around, to see me in a dimly lit pit, with a ladder at the side, leading to the top, where it was blocked with a piece of stone floor. I only knew one way to break that floor. The gem was still as cool and smooth as ever, as I flipped it into the air, and slammed it against my right wrist. Just like before, a sword was strapped around my wrist, and I scaled up the ladder. When I was a few feet below the floor, I held my breath, and jabbed the sword upwards at the stone. The stone shattered, and I happily climbed up, reaching the chamber where those two weirdos from before were. My hourglass started glowing bright gold, and I was blinded.

_

* * *

_

R

"Ugh, I now officially hate traps that involve me falling down, and almost cracking my head open." I muttered, as I stood up, and examined the situation. Yami and Joey were next to each other, facing Para and Dox on the opposite side of the dueling arena. The two seemed to be doing a tag duel against the brothers. And while Paradox brothers had their Gate Guardian, Yugi and Joey had their Black Skull Dragon. The dragon destroyed the guardian, and the brothers' life points dropped to zero. "Yah, you guys won again!" I cheered, and everyone's heads turned towards me, their faces portraying surprise. "What?"

"Rox, what happened? We thought you died or something." Tristan looked very relieved. _Died? Why would they ever think that?_

"Why would you think that?" I tilted my head to the side in surprise.

"We yelled your name until our voices grew hoarse, but you didn't respond at all." Tea shook her head.

"Well… I did get a nasty hit on the head and passed out, but don't worry, I'm ok." I shrugged. The pain had disappeared. I hid the sword behind my back, as I willed it to return to its normal gem form, before stuffing it in my pocket. "Anyway, since they won, they have ten star chips each, and they're ready to duel Pegasus!" I beamed.

The two Paradox brothers smirked. "You're not going yet." Para said.

"You still have another test." Dox corrected.

"Oh great, not only do you love to try to kill people, force people into dueling you, and rhyming, but you really do want us to stay trapped in this freaking endless maze of tunnels don't you? Personally, it's the rhyming that gets to me." I groaned.

"One of is telling only the truth, and one of us is will only tell you lies, now choose a door. The right one will let you go free." Para explained. _Well, if you think about it, both of them are lying. If one says they are telling the truth, they could be lying, and the other one lying as well, so you can't trust either of them…_

"Fine, I'll choose the door if you guys can trust me." I looked at the group for approval, and none of them complained.

I had a coin in each hand, marked with the door's signs. Nobody knew, but one had both signs, while the other only had Dox's sign. I showed off the coins to make it appear that each one had a different sign. "Ok, the one I keep in my fist will be the door I choose." I closed my fists, and waited a while, to let the suspense sink in. I opened up the fist with the coin that only had Dox's sign.

The two brothers laughed. "You picked the wrong door! Dox's was the real one!" Para laughed.

"Eh, you didn't even see my choice." I showed them the sign, Dox's.

The brothers looked confused.

"See, you would choose the door that I didn't pick to be the right one, so I decided to mark this coin with both signs. Now that we won, can we please get out of this place? I'm starting to develop claustrophobia." I winked, as Dox's door opened. The door that would let us finally get out of this cave. "Yes, civilization at last! WOOOOH!" I yelled with pure happiness, and ran towards the door. _FREEDOM!_

"Wait for us, Roxy!" Joey laughed, and the rest of the gang ran to keep up with me.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes: Sorry, but I was really running out of ideas for this chapter. Anyway, hopefully the next one will be better. Thanks to xyugiohluvrx for reviewing! You rock! And thanks to all the other readers like you too! And yes, R was getting a little too hyper…


	8. Chapter 7 Suicidal and Memory Loss

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

Not my best chap, but the next one will be intense, I'll tell you that :)

**Chapter 7- Suicidal and Memory Loss**

_Roxanna_

"Free!" I ran up the stone steps, and onto the regular dirt ground. I almost felt like hugging everyone. Well, almost. We were at the bottom of the steps that lead to Pegasus' castle. Where I would finally get to give Lucifer the beating he deserves. I was already anxious. And now that Joey and Yugi both have enough star chips… We're all set to go into the castle. The rest of the others walked up the steps, and I was just going to walk up, when Yugi grabbed my arm.

"Hey, Roxy, there's been something I wanted to ask you…" Yugi looked nervous. He wasn't at all like the person who he was when he dueled.

"Sure, ask away." I replied.

"Well… I wanted to ask if you're ok? I thought that you were really hurt when the Paradox brothers made you fall down that pit … And if your parents are worried about you being alone on this island. I didn't see you traveling with any friends the entire time other than us." Yugi blushed, and I did too. I forgot that he knew that I had gotten hurt when I fell back in that chamber with those wacky brothers. And my parents… Well, that's one of the many sore subjects I just didn't discuss with anyone.

"Eh, I'm ok. Don't worry about it. My parents aren't worried about me at all. I don't think they even notice that I'm gone." Not a total lie, but I left out a big portion of the truth. My parents were dead. I didn't have anybody to take care of me, or worry about me.

"Really? I know my grandpa would be pretty worried if I went traveling on my own…" Yugi's voice trailed off. He seemed really worried about something.

"Is something the matter, Yugi?" I asked.

"Well, you'll think I'm crazy if I tell you… But when I duel, I can't remember a thing about it afterwards. And… This'll sound stupid but, I feel like there's somebody else inside me." Yugi shifted nervously, as if waiting for me to tell him that he was hallucinating or out of his mind.

"That's not crazy at all. Don't tell anybody this, but in fact, same things happening to me." I admitted.

"Really? Then I'm not going crazy." Yugi sighed with relief, as if I lifted a huge load off of his shoulders. "You do seem different every once in a while, more happy and humorous."

"Hmm, really? I never really thought about it." I shrugged, thinking about all those missing gaps in my memory.

"Hey, you two lovebirds, get up here!" Joey yelled. Me and Yugi turned bright red.

"Joey Wheeler, when I get my hands on you, I'm gonna strangle you!" I growled, a vein popping at the top of my head, as I ran up the stairs. Yugi laughed nervously and followed.

Me and Yugi caught up with the others, fast. Joey gulped, and used Tristan and Bakura as a shield. "Tristan, Bakura, protect me!" Joey whimpered.

"Dude, you made her mad, deal with the consequences!" Tristan argued.

"Joey, let go, I don't want to die!" Bakura gulped.

"Joey…" I pulled a pebble out of my pocket, and Joey eyed it cautiously. Tristan and Bakura slowly backed away, leaving Joey alone. "You idiot!" I flicked the stone at his head, and he fell back, his head hitting the stone steps.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Joey got up, fuming.

"For calling me and Yugi lovebirds, you dolt." I smirked. "But do it again, and I'll have your neck slit open." A shadow fell over my eyes, and Joey gulped. He knew I wasn't kidding. "But for now, we're going to Pegasus' castle!" I brightened, and the rest of the gang grew uncomfortable. I was really unpredictable.

* * *

We continued walking up the steps, and somebody blocked the way. It was none other than Seto Kaiba. "Yugi, I can't let you pass to face Pegasus, he's mine. We're going to have a duel, and I'll wager five star chips. Whoever wins will face Pegasus." Seto avoided looking at me, and I couldn't blame him. The last time I saw him, I didn't treat him in the nicest way.

"I already have my ten star chips, so no thanks." Yugi shook his head.

"Are you afraid you won't win because you don't have Exodia anymore?" Seto taunted.

"Hey, Yugi doesn't have to prove anything to you!" I growled. Seto didn't respond, he only turned his head so that he couldn't see me.

"Fine, I'll give you your rematch." Yugi sounded so confident, I almost didn't believe it was him. Yugi had changed, to the more confident, courageous version of himself, that dwelled deep within his puzzle.

Yami and Seto were on opposite sides at the top of the castle, while the rest of us stood on the sidelines. The two duelists were using Kaiba's duel disks again. The two opponents glared at each other and slammed the disks into the recognizer. A gust of wind passed by, sending chills down my spine. It was obvious that the duel would be an intense one. And I had no idea who I should cheer for, my childhood friend, or a person that had more in common with me than anybody else? It tore me apart just thinking about it.

After a while, Seto summoned his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, one of the strongest Duel Monsters I've ever seen. It's attack points were 4500. While Kaiba had 900 Life Points, Yami only had 400. And besides that, Seto had infected Yami's deck with a Crush virus card. The card stops Yami from using any monster with higher than 1500 attack points. It really did look hopeless. _'No, it's not. He'll find a way to win.' R whispered. _My hourglass started glowing.

_

* * *

_

R

"You can do this, Yugi! Remember what your fighting for! Your grandpa's depending on you to win!" I called out. **(Author Note: People call him Yugi, but it's actually Yami dueling right now…)**Something about Yami seemed to be really familiar. But what was it? Everything about me was so blurry, so blank. The only things that ever sparked any sort of recognition were a few Duel Monsters, Millennium Items, The Millennium Gem, and a few people. But I could never remember a single thing about my past. Not even my name. So why did I always feel the urge to protect Yami?

"I'll beat you, this is the beginning of your demise, and I summon Kuriboh, in attack mode!" Yami threw the duel disk, and a cute brown fuzz ball appeared on the field. I frowned. What could he have been thinking? There must have been something else behind his plan. "I activate the magic card Multiply!" Kuriboh multiplied endlessly, creating a shield that protected Yami's life points. The destroyed Kuribohs would just reappear after they're destroyed. A really good comeback, but not as good as the next move he was going to make.

Yami fused his Mammoth Graveyard with Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon by using his Living Arrow and Polymerization card. "As each turn passes, your dragon will grow weaker. Each turn, your dragon will get 1400 attack points drained away from it." Yami said, and the tables really turned this time. In a few turns, the dragon would be weak enough to destroy. The once unstoppable dragon was now melting, growing weaker. Seto continued to attack the wall of Kuriboh's, but they kept coming back, and the dragon grew weaker, to a mere 900 attack points.

Yami summoned his Celtic Guardian, which sliced off one of the dragon's three heads. The dragon still remained standing, with only two heads now. Seto's life points dropped to 400. One more attack, and Seto would lose.

"Yugi, I can't let you win. The safety of my brother rests on my victory." Seto started backing up, until he was standing on the edge of the castle. My eyes widened. If Yami did attack, the shockwaves might cause Seto to fall, and plummet to his death.

"Seto, stop it! We can help you, stop!" I yelled.

Seto looked at me, with a little regret. "I have to save Mokuba. You of all people should know that he means everything to me." He paused. "So I use Monster Reborn, and revive the Blue Eyes you destroyed!" The head emerged onto the body, with 3000 attack points. If Yami attacked the weaker Blue Eyes, he would win. If he doesn't, Kaiba would finish him off, with the regular Blue Eyes.

Yami ordered the Celtic Guardian to attack, but Tea convinced him to stop. Yugi fell onto the floor on his knees, yelling "Stop!" The monster froze before it could attack. And Kaiba won, destroying Yugi's Celtic Guardian and the rest of his life points. Now Yugi couldn't go to save his grandpa. Kaiba walked away, taking with him five of Yugi's hard earned star chips. Even though I wasn't the one who lost, I felt like I failed in some big way.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

I blinked. Everything was so blurry. I remember Yugi almost losing to that monster… But why are we off the tower, in front of the doors to Pegasus castle? Why is Yugi on his hands and knees? "Guys, what happened?" I asked dumbly.

"Gees, Rox, what's wrong? It seems like you weren't even paying any attention to the entire duel!" Tea scoffed.

I winced. He was right, I don't even know what happened. "Who won?"

"Hey, you don't have to rub it in Yugi's face that he lost!" Tristan growled.

_Yugi lost?_ _But why don't I remember? What the heck is going on?_

(Eh, I'm writing up to here, and I'll tell you what happens next, because I don't know what to write. Mai comes by and wanted to give Yugi five star chips. Yugi doesn't accept them. Tea duels Mai for the star chips, and Tea wins. Yugi gets the chips back and they're able to go to the castle.)

_

* * *

_

Now we can finally go into the finals of the Duelist Kingdom! Watch out Lucifer, cause I'm gonna make sure you ever regret crossing me. I really want the rest of the Millennium Gem back. But I'm starting to wonder, if I ever pick up the gem again, what color will it be? Grey again?

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes: The next chapter will be better. I'll give you a hint. Roxanna gets really mad. And the gang starts to finally understand some of her mysterious past. So thanks to my readers, because this is one of my more boring chapters.


	9. Chapter 8 Anger and Tears

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 8- Anger and Tears**

_Roxanna_

Everyone, including Mai ran up the steps, and got to the front door of the castle. The guard glared at us, but when Mai, Joey, Yugi, and I showed him the star chips, he let us go. Mai placed her star chips in the door's lock, and it opened. The four of us stepped in, but Kemo (the guard) wasn't about to let Bakura, Tea, and Tristan in.

"No, you three don't even have dueling gloves!" Kemo said.

"But you have to let us in, we're the cheerleaders!" Tea sounded so cheerful, I almost gagged. Tristan and Bakura looked at Tea with 'wtf?' faces. _Those poor guys…_

"What do you losers think this is, a high school football game? No star chips, no entry!" Kemo growled. Then, an idea popped up, and I smirked.

"Hey, Mai!" I called, and whispered the plan into her ear. She nodded her head, signaling she'd do it. I fished the Millennium Gem out of my pocket and waited for my cue.

"You mean you can't do us this one little favor, not even for me?" Mai winked.

Kemo started blushing. "Absolutely not, Pegasus-"

I threw the gem into the air, and when it fell, caught it with both hands. The gem morphed and changed into a bow and arrow. And nobody noticed. _Wonder how I knew how to do that… _Then I got into position, holding the bow in one hand, and the arrow in the other. I closed one eye, aiming carefully. Then, I let go of the arrow. The arrow flung into the air at high speed, and notched itself into Kemo's hair. The arrow apparently didn't make a hole in the spiky hair like I wanted it to. But it got stuck, which I'm guessing is the result of way too much hair gel. The plan worked out even better than I planned, though.

"What the hell?" Kemo started trying to get the arrow out of his hair, but it stayed notched in his hair, not budging. He was too distracted to even pay any more attention to us.

The rest of us laughed, as we all ran into the castle, and locked Kemo out.

"Oh wow, Rox, nice one!" Joey laughed, and held up his hand for a high five. I slapped my hand hard against his, and he tried to hide the fact that his hand was growing red.

"Hey, I thought you were just going to throw something at him." Mai recalled.

"Eh, sending an arrow through is hair would be much more fun." There was an evil glint in my eye, and everyone backed away, clearly terrified of how easily I could kill any of them. "Gees, you know I wouldn't hurt you… Unless you get me mad." And with that, we walked down the entrance hall, up the stairs to a balcony area. And the person I saw made me almost want to kill him on sight.

Bandit Keith was leaning against the railing, and spotted us. "Well, if it isn't Big Tough Joey and his gang of dueling dummies?" That did it. I didn't even care if the others saw at this point.

I held up my bow. It started glowing, and turned back into the fragment of the gem. Then I threw it into the air, and slammed the gem onto my right wrist. And as usual, a sword appeared, attached to my wrist. Then I walked up the wide eyed Bandit Keith, and hit him on the head with the blunt side of the sword. He fell onto the floor, unconscious. "That's for taking all of my weapons and leaving us in that cave, you creep." I turned back to the group, and willed the sword to revert back, and the gem fell gracefully into my palm. "Ah, that got rid of my anger." I stuffed the gem back into my pocket, and dusted my hands off. The rest of the group gawked, as if I'd just done the impossible. Well, maybe I kinda did.

"How did you…?" Joey looked absolutely confused, and I don't blame him. Who sees a person turn a piece of stone into a sword every day? No regular person.

"Yeah… A little thing that can transform into weapons! My favorite toy." I grinned evilly, and the group eyed me even more cautiously than before.

A man walked in, and cleared his throat. "Welcome ,duelists. Hello, I'm Croquet, the chief tournament liaison. I'd like to congratulate you for making it this far in the tournament and want to provide you with some entertainment- an exhibition match between Pegasus and Kaiba. This match is going to show you what's in store for you… And why is a guy lying on the floor unconscious?" Croquet finally noticed Keith lying on the floor.

"Oh, I knocked him out." I smiled, as a look of disbelief crossed Croquet's face. Even though I didn't smile wide or much, I still looked very innocent. Nobody would have thought that I can kill almost anyone in the room if I really wanted to.

"Well, I'll give you a warning, no violence in the castle, or you'll be forced to leave. Now please enjoy the duel." Croquet said, and walked away.

Everyone looked over the railing, to see Kaiba standing on the walkway below us. And in his hand, he was clutching the locket, that contained pictures of me and Mokuba. _What happened to Mokuba anyway? I did recall Seto saying something about saving Mokuba from Pegasus. _On the opposite side of Kaiba, a door opened, and Pegasus stepped out.

"Kaiba- boy! It's such a pleasure seeing you again!" Pegasus' voice was so… Cheerful. I had to urge myself not to throw up.

"Cut the small talk, I'm dueling you to get my brother back!" Kaiba growled, and opened up his brief case, throwing one of the two duel disks at Pegasus. He caught it, and examined it.

"How do you expect me to duel with this, if I don't even know how to use it? But, I'll use you contraption, if I can get someone else to operate it for me. Don't worry, I'll still make all the strategic decisions, and the game play won't change at all." Pegasus smirked, definitely hiding something. He clapped his hands, and one of Pegasus' servants walked through the door, his hand holding the shackles that attached to the arm of… Mokuba? Except something was wrong with him, his eyes were so lifeless, so unfeeling, it shattered my heart just to look at him. The next emotion I felt was bitter rage. What the heck did that creep do to him? Where did the cute little boy I looked at as a little brother go? It almost seemed like… He didn't have a soul.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba cried out, but Mokuba just stared blankly into space.

"It's settled, I'll let Mokuba operate your device, and if you win, I'll let his soul go free." Pegasus handed Mokuba the disk. _So he did take Mokuba's soul away! That jerk!_

"Wait, no! We'll duel on your terms, just keep my brother out of this." Kaiba looked so torn when he found out that he had to duel his brother, I had to look away.

"Ok, fine by me. Take him away." Pegasus waved his hand, and one of his servants lead the lifeless Mokuba away. Then with a snap of his fingers, the walkway splits in half, and retracts towards the walls. Then a dueling arena descended down from the ceiling, and was placed in between Kaiba and Pegasus.

* * *

"Oh, sorry I'm late! I accidentally got lost in the forest!" an all too familiar, cheerful voice rang through the room. I was furious enough before, but now I'm outraged. Everyone tore their eyes away from the two about to duel, and turned around. Guess who decided to show up? Lucifer. "Hey, Anna!" He ran up to me, and had to bend down a little to ruffle my hair. My eye started twitching. "How have you been doing?"

"Oh are you one of Roxy's friends?" Yugi looked up at Lucifer and smiled. "Any one of Roxy's friends is one of mine!" _But Lucifer's not, he's one of the few people I would love to stab like maybe a hundred times._

Lucifer smiled at each one of my friends, and told them his name. Each of my friends introduced themselves, before looking back at the duel, which had just started. When Lucifer was sure none of my friends were looking, he caught my eye. He pointed at the gang, and made a fake cutting motion at his neck with one hand. Meaning: _If you do anything that makes me mad, I'll kill all of them. Won't that be a lot of fun?_ Then he smirked, and turned his attention to the duel. "Hey, Seto, what's up?" Lucifer waved.

Kaiba looked at him, and his eyes narrowed. Seto never liked Lucifer at the orphanage, and always was tempted to strangle him. The two never really got along, but they tried to around me. The worst thing that ever happened was Lucifer getting a bloody nose. At the time I got mad at Seto, but now… I would complain that he didn't beat him up enough. "Lucifer, how _nice_ to see you." Seto's voice was filled with sarcasm, but Lucifer didn't even seem to mind. Kaiba focused back onto the duel, and as did the rest of us. Lucifer and I kept sneaking glares at each other every few seconds as the duel raged on. And Bandit Keith still stayed on the floor, out cold.

* * *

"Forgive me Mokuba… I tried my best." Seto murmured, as Pegasus took the last of his life points. I looked in disbelief as he lost. Then a cold shiver ran down my spine. _What is Pegasus going to do to Kaiba, since he lost?_

"Good match, Kaiba- boy! But not good enough to win back your brother. Don't worry, I'll save you the agony of carrying on in this world without him." Pegasus held up a blank card. A golden glow came from Pegasus, and filled the whole room. When the lights dimmed enough for everyone to see again, I covered my mouth in shock.

Kaiba stood there, his eyes were as blank and emotionless as Mokuba's.

Pegasus smirked, as he held two cards, one with Mokuba's picture, and one with Kaiba's. He held the two cards next to each other. _'Pegasus has their souls.' R whispered. _I clenched my fists. "Ah, you two are so close, yet so far away! Now take that empty shell away, teach him to wash dishes or something." Two of Pegasus' servants dragged Kaiba's body away. That just ticked me off.

"Pegasus, you little son of a bitch! When I get my hands on you, you'll wish you never invited me to the freaking tournament!" I leaned on the edge of the railing, almost ready to jump at him, when the Lucifer held me back. "Stop, let me go! I'll do all of us a favor and beat the crap out of him!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Roxa, you're just as violent as ever." Lucifer smirked. "Now if you want the rest of that gem, I suggest you don't be so irrational."

"Luci, I suggest you don't make me mad right now." I seethed, an aura of hatred surrounding me. Lucifer backed up slightly.

"Fine, but…" Lucifer pulled out a lighter, and a spark of fire flickered on. Meaning: _Don't make me have to burn this whole place down._

The rest of the gang looked nervously at the two of us, and now it was pretty clear that the two of us were definitely not friends.

"You wouldn't have the guts to, you coward!" I growled.

"Don't test me." Lucifer pocketed the lighter. "How are your parents?" Oh, he did not just say that!

"Don't you dare mention parents!" He had succeeded in making me mad over my limits. I clenched my fists, and hit a blow in his the gut. He bent down, clutching his stomach in pain, and Croquet walked back onto the balcony.

"Roxanna Hylkio, this is your last warning. If we catch you hurting another person in this castle, you are going to be disqualified." Croquet warned. Lucifer smirked, and stood upright. I would just love to give him another good bop in the face, but I'm a little too short.

"Ow… What did I miss?" Bandit Keith groaned, and sat up.

"Oh, shut the fuck up." I growled, and when Croquet looked away ,I kicked Keith in the shin.

* * *

Everyone was invited to have dinner in the dining room, but everyone went to their rooms first. I set down my bag, and sighed. I had told the gang that I would explain to them a little bit about what happened on the balcony if they met me in my room. _Hm… How do I explain any of what happened to them?_ And the gang arrived sooner than I thought. While they sat on the couches, I sat on the bed.

"So what did you want to tell us?" Mai asked.

I cleared my throat, and paused, before I started telling them the all so sad tale of my life. "I was eight when my parents decided to move to Domino City. You might not believe it, but back then, my hair color was white. My older brother, Ryan, and I were both excited. But on the way to Domino, something happened. Our car malfunctioned, and started driving on its own. Before the car drove off a cliff, Ryan pushed me out of the car. So I only survived, while the rest of my family died in the accident. People wouldn't even show me their bodies. After the accident, my hair turned black. Then I was forced to live in an orphanage, where I met Lucifer. We became good friends immediately. Then, a man came to the orphanage, known as Professor Night. He decided to adopt both me and Lucifer. The both of us were excited, finally being able to be adopted. But something unexpected happened. The professor chose to only adopt me. I complained, but was dragged out of the orphanage, leaving a broken hearted Lucifer all alone. We didn't see each other for a long time, until that tournament. It was a Duel Monster's one, and the two of us didn't know that we were both in it until we faced each other in the final match. The two of us were both surprised, but Lucifer seemed really angry. I ended up winning. But when I got home, I-I s-sa-saw…" I couldn't finish my story. Tears formed at my eyes, and I started crying.

Yugi walked over to me, and hugged me. "It's ok."

"N-No, it's n-not, L-Lu-Lucifer he, k-killed him. He killed my adoptive dad! He stole one of my most precious belongings, and burned my house! After that, my hair turned grey. N-nothing's alright!" The tears just wouldn't stop.

Now everyone went over to comfort me, but I could tell they were heartbroken from hearing my story. But not half as broken as I felt.

"Hey, Rox, it's ok. That's never going to happen again." Joey assured me.

"Yeah, and when this tournament's over, if we ever see that creep again, we'll beat the crap out of him." Tristan patted my head.

"Wait, then who's taking care of you now?" Tea asked.

"Nobody, I take care of myself." I finally calmed down.

"What about school? You never mentioned one." Bakura noticed.

"I don't go to one, I learn everything from the bookstore I own." I shrugged. "Come on, let's go to the dining room, I'm starving." The others left my room before I did, and I picked up my bag. I wasn't going to leave that thing behind again. I opened my door, and bumped into somebody. "Oh, I'm so sorry-!" I gasped, when I saw who it was.

"Oh, no need to apologize, I didn't look where I was walking." The person smirked, and I felt my blood boil.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes: I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger! Thanks to all of my readers, reviewers, and ect. I'm happy people are actually reading my story! ^^

* * *

Roxanna: 'runs into room holding script' I just found out who killed my parents! I'm gonna kill you,-

'Yami and Yugi run into the room and dragged Roxy away before she could say the name'

Riley: Ok, who gave Rox the script?

'Everyone points at R'

R: What, she told me she wouldn't kill the person! She said she just wanted to know who it was…

Riley: And you believed her? Don' you remember what happened to Melvin?

Everyone: Who's Melvin?

Riley: Exactly.


	10. Chapter 9 Forgotten Title and Altair

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 9- Forgotten Title and Altair**

"Pegasus." I growled, up at the person who stole three people's souls. As usual, his silver hair covered half of his face. I would just love to torture him to death, but if I do that… What would happen to Mokuba, Kaiba, and Yugi's grandpa? I'm not going to risk putting them in any danger, after all, they've been through enough.

"I hope you're having a good time at this tournament." Pegasus sounded so cheerful. I was about ready to puke, and my face turned slightly green. _Oh god, if I duel him, I'll need a bucket by my side the entire time. I can't stand seeing him this happy, it's unnatural._

"I'm having a good enough time, this tournament has been a blast." I smiled, trying to hide the fact that I wanted to punch him so bad.

"Good, I saw that documentary about you a while ago. You won that tournament when you were only eleven, right? It was a real surprise, since nobody knew about you until that tournament. And most of the contestants were at least eighteen. Except Lucifer. What a coincidence that you two are in the same tournament, yet again! It must be fate!" Pegasus smiled.

_Why does he know so much? Most people have forgotten about that tournament and me. _"Yeah. Sorry, but I better get going to the dining room." I started walking briskly away.

Pegasus laughed. "Sure thing, Dueling Angel." I winced. Nobody called me by that title since the tournament, and I had almost forgotten about it._ Thanks a lot, Pegasus._

"Please, don't call me that." I stopped walking. "I prefer to forget about that tournament and that title." Then before he could respond, I ran as fast as I could to the dining room, and I could hear Pegasus' amused laughter.

* * *

When I stepped into the dining room, everyone was already there. Joey and Tristan were stuffing themselves with food. Bandit Keith and Lucifer were sitting next to each other. Keith had an icepack on his forehead from when I hit him, and when he saw me, he glared. I stuck out my tongue at him, and watched as he grew even angrier. Lucifer just sat at the table looking bored, occasionally sneaking a bite or two of food. I sat in between Tea and Yugi, and shot Lucifer a glare. He just took a bite of cake, and nodded in my direction. The air tensed as the gang looked nervously from me to Lucifer. Neither one of us said anything to each other. We only glared back at each other.

Croquet cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "To participate in the duels, you need your entry cards that were sent with the invitation. You need to have one of them, or you'll be disqualified. The blank card allows you to challenge Pegasus, the card with the coins and jewels allows you to get the prize money."

I reached into my bag, looking for the cards, and I only found one. _Crap, the other one must have fallen out when I got caught in that trap! So, I only have the blank card… Well, at least I'll still be able to participate… But what about Joey? He didn't get an invite, so he probably doesn't have a card either. _I looked at Joey, who seemed to be freaking out. Yep, he didn't have one of the cards.

"Ah, and to make the tournament more interesting, your host has added a special ingredient to your soup." Croquet added.

Everyone looked down in their own soup bowls. A golden eye floated up to the top of the soup in all the bowls that belonged to the finalists. "Uh... I don't want my soup anymore..." I glared at the eye, and remembered something about the Millennium Eye.

_

* * *

_

~Flashback~

_I knew I wasn't allowed to look through my father's study on the Millennium Items, but I did anyway. I snuck into his study room, and looked around for the right book. There it was, the book with Egyptian symbols on it. I opened up the book, to the first entry._

Millennium Eye

This is one of the Millennium Items that we have the most information on. It is said that it can be used to read a person's mind and trap a person's soul, according to some ancient texts. Some even say that it can be used to summon the powers of a so called 'Shadow Realm'. Could be very dangerous if not handled in the right way.

_I re-read the entry, but couldn't really understand it. What is a Shadow Realm? Why is it so dangerous?_

* * *

The eyes looked a lot like the Millennium Eye that Pegasus had.

"Now, open the eyes. You've been each randomly assigned a letter." Croquet explained, as everyone opened the eyes.

The Letters we each got-

A: Yugi

B: Mai

C: Bandit Keith

D: Joey

E: Lucifer

F: Roxanna

"The computer will pair up the letters, and will determine the match ups for tommorrow's duel." A screen lowered down. On the screen, it showed who would be dueling who:

A and B (Yugi and Mai)

C and D (Bandit Keith and Joey)

E and F (Lucifer and Roxanna)

"Now enjoy the rest of your feast." Croquet left the room.

I didn't touch any of the food that was spread on the table. I just munched on a granola bar that I brought with me to the tournament. I lost all of my appetite when I found out I'd be dueling Lucifer first. He seemed really pleased that he would get to duel me. I was too, but all of my excitement had replaced my hunger, and I felt very full.

Yugi walked over to Joey. "Hey, Joey you need one of these right? Think of it as an early birthday present." Yugi handed Joey the card with the gold coins.

"Thanks, Yugi, you're a great pal." Joey smiled, and took the card. Now we could all duel tomorrow.

* * *

We all split off into our separate rooms. I took my deck, and threw my bag onto the ground. Then I plopped onto my bed, and looked through my cards. I haven't ever changed my deck, and I wasn't about to. But Lucifer must know all of my strategies, and probably changed his deck just to be able to beat mine. I looked through all of my cards, all of them Ice Monsters… Then I reached my last card, and frowned. _I thought I had the Winter Bird, not this card… Oh well, I guess I'll still keep it. _I put my deck away, and lay back down on my bed. Lots of things were on my mind lately, and I couldn't fall asleep. So I started absentmindedly stroking my Millennium Hourglass. After a while I felt my eyelids start to droop, and closed my eyes. _'Roxanna… Help…' R murmured, and her voice echoed in my head._

_

* * *

_

~Dream~

_I lounged on the branch of a tree, and looked over the small village I lived in. Ah… So peaceful. My white hair blew around in the hot wind, sand getting in my hair, but I didn't mind. I looked around me, and as usual, all the birds in the village were perched on the tree, and one on my shoulder. I stroked the little bird, that I had named Altair. Its eyes were beady black, its feathers white, with tinges of silver streaks in them. _

_Then, one of the birds cried, a sharp shrill cry, indicating immense danger. That's when I spotted them, a gang of bandits, about to raid our village. I glanced at Altair, and murmured, "Get the gem, now." The bird chirped, and flew off. I jumped off the branch, and looked for anything that could work as a weapon. The best was a dead tree branch. I grabbed the branch and was ready to fight._

_The birds attacked the bandits, and I did my best to keep them away from all the houses. The villagers panicked, and ran away from the village in fear._

_I was backed against a wall, inside the house I built. I gritted my teeth, as my only weapon available lay on the ground, reduced to splinters. The bandits grinned, raising their clubs and other weapons to attack. Then I saw a tiny blur of grey and white. Altair! The bird landed on my shoulder, and dropped the gem into my hand. My blue eyes gleamed, as I tossed the gem into the air, and slammed it onto my right wrist. It morphed into a shiny sword, and the bandits started backing away. One of them attempted to attack, but when I destroyed their weapon, all of them fled. Or so I thought._

_I turned around, a little too late. One bandit stayed behind, and managed to nail me in the head with a club. I fell to the ground, clutching my head in pain. Blood dripped out of the wound. The flock of birds attacked the man, and he ran away as well. Feathers drifted down, landing all over the floor, and I closed my eyes._

_I sat up, and looked around me. Where was I? Everything looked so unfamiliar… The last thing I remember, was that blow on the head… But why am I in a totally different place? I stood up, and saw Altair perched on my shoulder, and the rest of the birds following me from behind. Maybe they brought me here? I continued walking around, and the people glanced at me, and started whispering. I looked down at my right hand. The sword still stayed attached to my wrist, and the steel glinted in the bright sunlight. That when I heard what the people were saying. "Bird Warrior." They repeated that over and over again, and I ran away from the main square. What could those people know about me?_

_I reached a river, and decided to get a drink of water, after all, it's been a really long and confusing day. When I looked into the water, my mouth gaped open. My hair was now pure black, and really messy and stained with tinges of blood, making it look like I was fighting at a war or something. The birds still followed me, and I looked at them. "Where did you take me?"_

_Altair let out a mournful chirp, and the other birds echoed the sound. But none of them did anything else. Then, they started twittering nervously, and I knew something was wrong. But what?_

"_Who dares intrude the sacred grounds of the Pharaoh?" A man walked over to me, looking extremely mad. _

"_I'm really sorry, sir. I don't really know how I got here…" I didn't really know what to say. _

_His eyes widened, as he laid eyes on Altair. "Could she be the one from the prophecy?" He muttered to himself. Then he looked at the other birds, before looking back at me. "Follow me." The man hopped onto a horse, and I grew nervous, but got behind him. The man grabbed the reigns and clicked his tongue, and the horse galloped, towards some sort of palace. What the heck is going on here?_

* * *

I sat up quickly, and looked around the room. _Just a dream… But what the heck happened? I know I definitely didn't do any of that stuff. My imagination isn't good enough to make up that sort of dream, so where did it come from. _I looked at my Millennium Hourglass, which seemed to be glowing. '_Help me remember… That's the only thing I recall… Help…' R appeared next to me, in her spirit form. 'Wait, that was you?' I gasped. 'Of course… I don't remember anything else. I need your help.' R smiled sadly. 'How am I supposed to help you?' I asked. 'Hmm, good question… I don't really know. But I think the answer will just come. Wish me luck in the duel!' And R disappeared. _I lay back onto my bed, and knew that I couldn't fall asleep anymore. Not with this much stuff to think about. What the heck happened in that dream? And I'm starting to think that different card wasn't just an accident this time.

* * *

**Author's Notes: -_- I finished this really quick, and next time, you finally see Roxanna duel! Thanks to xxpinkblinkxx for reviewing! And all the other people who have reviewed, read, favorited, ect...**


	11. Chapter 10 Ice against Fire

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 10- Ice against Fire**

_Roxanna_

I leaned over the railing of the balcony, already in the room where the dueling would take place. The sun had barely risen up, and it was really quiet. I was the first to arrive, which left me some time to think about everything going on lately. Nothing was making sense, the way I acted, the strange things that have been happening…

_I've never trusted anyone with anything about my past, and yet I decided to tell them… Why? It looks like Lucifer turning on me isn't enough to teach me a lesson. Maybe I can trust them? Or maybe I can't… Can. Can't. Can. Can't. Ah, this is giving me a headache! Why does everything and life have to be this confusing? Speaking of confusing, that bit of memory that R showed me… What's up with that? How am I supposed to help her regain her memory, when I'm struggling to deal with mine? What am I supposed to do, whack her in the head, and see if that solves the amnesia problem? Somehow, I don't think that'll work, and it'll probably only make things worse. Oh, thinking about this entire thing only make things worse! _

A heard the door creak open, and turned towards that direction. Guess who decided to show up? Two of my least favorite people, Bandit Keith and Lucifer. They seemed to be in some sort of deep conversation. Then the two of them saw me. Keith glowered at me, and I was kind of disappointed to see the icepack gone. Lucifer put on a fake smile, and walked over to ruffle my hair. My eye twitched in both annoyance and anger. He loves ticking me off so much.

"Hey, Anna, seems that you're up early in the morning again! You always were the first person up in the orphanage." His eye twinkled with excitement. "Can't wait for our duel later~" He added with a sing-song voice.

"Sure. You're still holding your promise. You're going to give me back that gem, if I win." A statement, not a question. I dared him to say no, just to have an excuse to throttle him.

"Of course. Emphasis on **if**, you win." Lucifer smirked. He pulled out a tiny bundle of dark blue cloth that was wrapped around something small. A neat knot of white ribbon used to make sure the object didn't fall out. "Don't worry, I have it with me."

He continued taunting me, dangling the bundle a few inches away from my hands. I was so tempted to reach out and grab it away from him. But if I did, I would be no better than he was. I couldn't take the gem back, unless I won it from him. "No, I** will** win, and don't you forget it." I sounded more confident than I really was. But Lucifer must have bought it.

"We'll see." He stuffed the parcel into his pocket, and walked over to Keith. The two of them seemed to be laughing about something being 'stolen'. But I didn't pay any attention to them, and looked in the opposite direction.

* * *

It wasn't long before Mai, and then the others got to the room. "Good luck in your first match." I nodded at Yami and Mai.

"Thanks, you too." The both of them smiled, and walked down, to the arena. The rest of us had to watch from the balcony.

The two of them got into position, Mai on the red side of the field, Yami on the right.

"Please show your qualification cards." Croquet said. Mai showed him the card with the gold, and Yami showed the blank card.

They both placed their decks in place, and yelled, "Duel!"

* * *

The duel raged on, and things didn't look so great for Yami. That is, until he turned everything around. He summoned the Black Luster Soldier, one of the most powerful monsters in Duel Monsters, with an attack power of 3000. The Soldier attacked Mai's Harpy's Pet Dragon, and reduced her Life Points to 750. Mai bit her lip, before placing her hand over her deck.

"Mai..." My eyes widened. I hadn't expected this. When a duelist put their hand over their deck, it would mean that they surrendered.

"I'd rather not see my Harpy's get destroyed in the next turn, and you would have won anyway. You deserved to win." Mai explained, before walking away from the arena.

"Mai, thanks. You dueled honorably. I was honored to be your opponent." Yami smiled.

"That's nice of you Yugi. See you next time." She winked, and Yami gave her a thumbs up.

Before Mai left, she gave me a small wave, and I returned it with a light smile.

I felt myself grow even more anxious. One more duel, and then it would be me against Lucifer.

"Will Bandit Keith and Joey Wheeler please proceed to the Dueling Platform?" Croquet announced.

"Alright, Joey it's your turn. Don't mess up." I joked.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about me! Start worrying about your duel with Lucifer, cause I'm going to finish this duel real fast." Joey smiled, and ran down the stairs to the dueling arena, and so did Keith.

"Please show your tournament entry cards." Croquet commanded.

Keith reached into his pocket, and pulled out the prize money card, looking smug. Joey reached into his jacket pocket, but looked panicked and continued searching all of his pockets. _Uh oh, please don't tell me he lost it…_

"Your tournament entry card." Croquet repeated. Joey continued fumbling through his pockets. "If you don't find it within the time limit, five minutes, you'll be disqualified. You have to have your card at 11 o'clock sharp. There will be no time extensions."

Joey ran in the direction his room would be, and all we could do was wait anxiously. I reached into my bag, just to make sure I didn't lose my card as well. I found the blank card, and sighed with relief. I was going to put it in my pant pocket, when something else in the pocket poked my finger. I grabbed it out, surprised to have found my other entry card. _I must have forgotten I had it in my pocket the entire time! Joey needs this card! _I ran out of the balcony, trying to catch up to Joey in time, gripping the Glory of the King's Hand (the card for the prize money) tightly in my hand.

* * *

I turned out I didn't have to search for Joey. He ran right into me, and the two of us fell back onto the floor.

"Sorry about that, Rox… I can't believe that I lost my card! Now I'll never be able to help my sister with her eye operation-" Joey sighed, but I cut him off by shoving the card into his hand.

"Take it. You need it." I turned my back to him, before walking away.

"Hey, Rox, thanks! Heh, sorry I have to rely on you to bail me out again. Hey, why'd you give me this card anyway?" Joey laughed and scratched his head.

"Don't thank me, you better get going to the arena, or you'll be disqualified." I smirked, as Joey took off, running ahead of me, panting. "I gave you that card cause you're my friend, you dolt." I murmured. I took off at full speed, ready to see how Joey's duel would turn out.

* * *

"Alright, Joey!" The gang cheered, as Joey's Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon destroyed the rest of Keith's life points.

"The win goes to Joey Wheeler." Croquet announced.

"This duel doesn't count! That's not even Joey's card!" Keith complained.

"Yeah, this card isn't mine. Since I lost mine, Rox gave me hers. But tell me, how did you know it wasn't mine?" Joey asked, holding up the card I gave him.

Keith stood there, unable to say a word.

"Isn't it obvious? Keith stole Joey's card. But not only that, Keith kept his set of completed 7 cards underneath his wrist band. So he could power up his Slot Machine whenever he wanted to." Pegasus smirked.

"You rotten little cheater! Not only did you try to kill us, but then you steal something from Joey, and cheat? You must really suck at dueling to go that low." With that, I stuck out my tongue at Keith. He growled and struggled, as he was dragged away by two of Pegasus' men.

Almost immediately, Keith ran back to the dueling arena, and leaped onto the part of the balcony Pegasus sat. Keith pointed a gun at Pegasus' head. "Now hand over the prize money, or I'll kill you!"

"Ok, I'll do whatever you say." Pegasus yawned, and his foot moved to a tiny switch on the floor. He stepped on it, and the floor around Pegasus' chair turned into a small tunnel, that leads down, far into the ocean. Keith plunged down, and I heard his screams, until he hit the water.

* * *

"You have a five minute break until the next duel." Croquet said, and Joey ran up onto the balcony to greet the rest of us. It was as if Keith never just disappeared.

That's when I realized it. If I won, then the next few matches would be Yugi, Joey, and me facing off against each other. _Nah, I'm thinking ahead of myself, I have to beat Lucifer first. _"Good job, Joey." I smiled at him, trying to ease the pressure I had. It wasn't working.

"Thanks! Good luck in your next duel." Joey patted my head.

"Yeah, hope you win, Roxy!" Yugi smiled.

"Would Roxanna Hylkio and Lucifer Hades please come to the dueling arena, please?" Croquet asked.

Me and Lucifer gave each other death glares, and my Millennium Hourglass started to glow.

_

* * *

_

R

I stood on my end of the dueling arena, and Lucifer on his.

"Please show your entry cards." Croquet said, and the two of us both showed the blank card. "Both qualify, you may begin."

The two of us placed our decks in place. I could feel the air around the two of us tense.

"Let's duel!"

I started off. "I'll just place Ice Wolf in defense mode, and put this card facedown. Your turn." I smiled, and Lucifer seemed surprised. (Ice Wolf- 2000 ATK 2500 DEF)

"So cheerful all of a sudden? Well, this will make things a little less fun for you." Lucifer smirked, as he drew a card. "I summon Fire Wolf, in attack mode!" (Fire Wolf- 2000 ATK 2500 DEF) "Then, I'll activate this spell card… Burning Revenge!" Lucifer threw the card onto the field, and the Fire Wolf's eyes gleamed. The flames that surrounded it flared slightly. "Attack the Ice Wolf!"

The Fire Wolf leapt at the Ice Wolf, and the Ice Wolf whimpered before exploding into mini particles. "What the? But the defense was higher than your attack!" My eyes widened in shock. What the heck was going on here? If it was a malfunction in the system, I'm going to sue!

"Wrong, check my wolf's attack points now." Lucifer smirked. _3000? How the heck did that happen? I am definitely going to sue! _"You see, Burning Revenge raises all Fire attribute monster's attack and defense by 1000. Not smiling now, are you?" _Uh… Ditch the suing idea…_

My smile just grew wider. This was the kind of hard duel I'd been anticipating. "No, I'm actually even more excited now. I was expecting you to give me your best, and you are. But don't get the wrong idea; I'm still going to beat you." I drew a card, and bit my lip. _No, I can't keep drawing Ice- type cards… I need __**that**__ card!_ "I'll just play Majestic Swan, in defense mode!" (Majestic Swan- 2500 ATK 300 DEF)

"Ok, my turn… And I'll get you out of hiding! I play Stop Defense. Now, Fire Wolf, attack that bird!" The Wolf scratched the swan, and feathers drifted into the air, before they and the bird disappeared. My life points dropped. (Lucifer- 2000 R- 1500)

"Good move, but don't think you're going to win, just because you have a little lead like that." The smile never left my face, as I found a great combo. "I play Legendary Ice Angel in attack mode! (Legendary Ice Angel- 2800 ATK 2000 DEF) Then I'll activate this card I placed down earlier, Legendary Bow! This adds 500 attack points to my angel! Now, destroy his Fire Wolf!" (2800+500= 3300)

The Angel raised her staff, and the wolf was encased in a large shard of ice, before the wolf and ice disappeared. (Lucifer- 1700 R- 1500)

"Hmm… Ok, fine. You defeated my wolf, but let's see you beat this! Inferno Geo Dragon, in attack mode!" Lucifer slammed the card down, and I gasped. The dragon's scales shimmered, it's wings made of only fire, it's eyes were a deep, dark red. The huge dragon roared, sending shivers down my spine. (Inferno Geo Dragon- original 2500 ATK 3000 DEF) "Now, get rid of that puny angel!" (2500+ 1000= 3500)

My angel was no more, as the blazing fire from the dragon's mouth spewed on her, consuming her in a wild blaze of fire. Not even a tiny bit of ash left. (Lucifer– 1700 R- 1300)

I bit my lip again. _If I don't draw that card soon, that dragon's going to wipe out the last of my life points! Come on, R, you can do this!_

* * *

The duel continued, and the best I could do was defend, as Lucifer continued to destroy the rest of my monsters, growing even more smug each time. I drew my next card, and smiled. _Yes! Heh, Lucifer, you're going down~!_ "Ok, Lucifer, meet the card that shall bring me victory!" I held up the card, the picture facing me to build up suspense. Lucifer looked at me with annoyance.

"Just play the freaking card already!" He tapped his foot impatiently.

"Fine," Then I placed the card onto the field, in attack mode. "Altair, the Bird of Prophecies!"

A tiny bird, materialized onto the field, looking exactly like the bird in my memory, and it was just as small. The only difference was, this one wore a black bandana around its neck, with the Millennium eye symbol on it. Altair glared at Lucifer, chirping with venom. Then the bird looked in my direction and did a wink. I did a tiny nod in response.

Lucifer burst out laughing, tears streaming from his eyes. "That is the most pathetic card I've ever seen, what makes you think that'll beat my all mighty dragon?"

"Didn't anyone teach you to never judge a book by its cover? Did you even bother to check that 'pathetic' bird's attack points?" I smirked, as his eyes widened. (Altair- 3000 ATK 1000 DEF)

"Ha, but that's still not enough to beat my dragon. Do the math, Anna." Lucifer relaxed and continued to gloat.

"That is, until I activate its special ability. If my opponent has a spell card that adds to the attack of their monsters, but not mine, Altair can attack you directly. So say buh- bye to the rest of your life points. Now, Altair, attack!" I commanded, and the small bird obeyed.

Altair flapped it's wings, and wind started to pick up, until there was a mini tornado, aimed right at Lucifer. (R- 1300 Lucifer- 0 ^^)

"What?" Lucifer looked completely shocked, but not at all mad.

"The winner of the match, was Roxanna Hylkio!" Croquet shouted.

Altair turned to face me, and did a small cheerful chirp, before disappearing along with all the other holograms.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

"Here, you deserve it, after all you beat me in that duel, fair and square." Lucifer dropped the small parcel into my hand, and walked away. "Don't you start thinking its over. I'll beat you next time." Lucifer disappeared from view.

I ran up to the balcony to see the others, a bright smile on my face.

"Great job!" Joey started ruffling my hair. Normally, I'd punch him for doing that, but today, I'll let it slide. I was in a good mood.

"Yeah, congrats for winning, Roxy!" Yugi smiled.

"Ok, ten minutes before the next match, between Roxanna, Yugi, and Joey!" Croquet announced.

A lump formed in my throat, and I smiled weakly at the other two. "Well, yeah… I guess this was going to happen since the beginning, huh?"

The two nodded grimly, but managed to offer small smiles. Neither of them wanted to do this, but we all had no choice. We were going to give it our all.

I turned away, to examine the bundle of cloth. I undid the knot of the ribbon, and let it drop to the ground. I slowly peeled away the layers of cloth, until I found the gem… But it was only another third of it! _Lucifer, you double crossing little…? _My blood started boiling with anger, but I calmed down. I didn't expect him to keep his promise anyway. But the main thing was… Did I dare to touch it? I gulped, and knew I had to. My finger barely brushed the glossy white surface, before the gem turned colors… A soft blend of light grey and white.

All of a sudden, my head throbbed with pain, and I gripped it with one hand. Each breathe I took hurt, and I felt numb. I dropped onto my knees, all of my senses starting to dull._ What the heck is happening?_ My vision started to blur, and a ringing sound filled my ears. Then everything went black.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**O_O... I'm sorry I ended on a cliff hanger again! Thanks to all my readers! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I was busy.**


	12. Chapter 11 Hearts and Crutches

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

Note: I don't know what happened the first time I published, but this is the real chapter... Sorry of the confusion. -_-

**Chapter 11- Hearts and Crutches**

_Narrator_

"Alright, will Roxanna Hylkio, Joey Wheeler, and Yugi Moto please come to the dueling platform?" Croquet asked.

Yugi and Joey smiled sadly at each other, before turning to Roxanna's direction. It was time, for the three of them to face each other.

"Hey, good luck, Rox-?" The two of them gasped, as they saw her unconscious on the floor.

The gang gathered around her, unsure of what to do. Each of them had a worried look plastered to their face.

Yugi hesitantly reached out to check her pulse. He pulled his hand back as soon as he brushed his fingers against her skin.

Unlike the other time Roxanna had passed out, this time her skin was cold, ice cold, and growing even paler by the second. She was barely breathing, and the gang could only tell by the slight rise and fall of her stomach. The same thought passed through all of their minds. It really seemed like she was… Dying.

"I said, will Roxanna Hylkio, Joey Wheeler, and Yugi Moto please come to the arena?" Croquet repeated. "If you don't come soon, then all of you will be disqualified."

"Hey, Rox needs medical attention here! Forget about the tournament for just a second, ok?" Tristan growled.

Croquet finally caught sight of Roxanna's limp body, and his expression softened a bit. "Fine, I'll get the medical team. But the other two duelists still need to duel. And according to the rules, Roxanna Hylkio will be disqualified." Croquet muttered something into his earpiece.

"That's not fair, she's passed out, and you just disqualify her? What kind of stupid rule is that?" Tea looked furious.

"Rules are rules. If a duelist isn't in time for a duel, they're disqualified, no matter what the circumstance. Now Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler, please proceed to the dueling platform, or the both of you will be disqualified as well." Croquet was starting to grow impatient and he tapped his foot on the floor.

Yugi and Joey looked worried, but ran down the steps and to the dueling arena. A faint glow came from Yugi's puzzle, and Yami appeared. The two duelists as well as best friends stood on opposite sides of the arena, looking at each other grimly. Neither of them wanted to fight one another, but they had to if they wanted to achieve what they worked so hard for this entire tournament. Yugi, to save his Grandpa's, Mokuba's, and Kaiba's soul. And Joey, to gain the prize money for his sister's eye operation. Both of them wanted, no needed to win this duel. But there could only be one victor. They both showed their qualification cards, and put their decks in place. The duel had begun, and they weren't going to go easy on one another. They were going to duel their best.

Two men came onto the balcony with a stretcher. They placed Roxanna on the stretcher, before taking her into the small infirmary deep within the castle. The gang watched with worried expressions as she was lead away. But there was nothing they could do for her now. All they could do was hope that she would be ok.

* * *

The monitors showed Roxanna's faint heart rate. Her heart was only beating enough to keep Roxanna alive, and barely. If this kept going on… Roxanna would be gone.

One of the doctors scratched his head as he looked at the clipboard, his eyebrows furrowed, as he sighed. "I've never seen anything like it in all of my years of work, and I've dealt with a lot of very weird cases. It looks like, all of a sudden, she's just going to… Die. For no apparent reason whatsoever. It's like her heart has just decided to fail on her. I'm afraid I have no way of helping her recover. Only a miracle could do that now."

"So you're saying that we can't do a thing? So you're just going to let her die?" Another doctor looked worried.

"I'm just saying that there's only so much we can do for her. Whether she lives or dies… It all depends on her now." The doctor sighed, and placed his clipboard down on his desk. He knew it was hopeless.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

_I blinked, and looked around. Everything around me was blank, just like the other time I found a piece of my personality again… But I didn't see any sort of faint glow. I scratched my head. What was I supposed to do?_

"_Hey! Anybody out there! Anyone that can help me? Anybody?" I shouted, but felt stupid. Last time, the only living thing other than me was that white dove._

"_Well, if you count me as a person, then yeah!" A voice laughed, a familiar voice. A very cheerful, familiar voice._

"_R, is that you?" I asked. That's weird, I've never met R like this before… It couldn't be her. But maybe… That dove again?_

"_Well… I'm not supposed to tell you who I am, yet. But I'll tell you this, my name definitely isn't R." The voice sounded amused. The voice was getting closer._

_All of a sudden, a small blur of black went past me, inches away from my face. I blinked, and felt something light land on my shoulder. I glanced at my shoulder, and saw a tiny black dove. It looked exactly like the other white one, except this one had feathers darker than the night sky. The feathers seemed to give off a warm, happy glow. In fact, the bird seemed to be radiating with happiness and care._

"_So, I'm assuming you're the same exact dove I saw before when I retrieved the first piece of my personality, right?" I reached to pet the small bird's head, and the dove just stayed perched on my shoulder._

_The bird chirped happily, but then flew onto the top of my head. "Hmm, how do I explain this…? Well, yes… And no. Depends on how you look at things. I am also a piece of memory from the previous owner of this gem. But I have some later memories than the other 'dove', as you called her. But we are the same person's memory, just different pieces." _

_That's when it hit me. The other dove talked about being a bit of someone's memory, and so did this one. What if the memory belonged to R? So what if I gathered all the pieces of the gem? Would that bring back R's memory? Or at least a part of it? Or maybe-_

_The bird started pecking lightly at my head, and I stopped thinking to look irritably at the dove. "Come on, I'm supposed to show you what you've been searching for, Roxanna. Isn't that why you're here?" The dove started flying ahead of me._

_I decided to follow the little dove. After all, there was nothing else I could do. "Hey, how come you get to know my name, and I'm not allowed to know your's? That's not fair at all."_

"_Because, I made an oath a while ago, that unless a specific person found me, I would never speak my name. You aren't that specific person, so I can't tell you, duh. Anyway, life's never fair, so don't' complain to me." The dove continued flying ahead._

"_Who's that specific person? Wait, let me guess, you're not supposed to tell me that either." I was starting to think this dove wasn't allowed to tell me a thing that I really wanted to know._

"_Yep! You're starting to catch on! Oh, we're here~!" The bird twittered, flying in circles around the glowing red heart._

_I was about to reach out and grab the heart, when the bird flew and landed on my hand, stopping me from grasping it._

"_You're not supposed to get your personality, unless you pass the test." The bird's eyes gleamed with excitement and nervousness. _

"_I didn't have to do a test when I got my first one, why do I have one now? I hate tests!" I groaned._

"_I guess it's because, it's harder as you obtain the pieces later on, I don't really know. Stop asking me questions! Ok, here's the test. All you have to do, is write down your earliest memory. And well… The rest will explain itself." The bird flapped its wings, and a pen and paper magically appeared on the floor._

_My eyes narrowed. Everything seemed too simple, there must have been a trick behind it all. But I did it anyway. I started out describing the day my real family died, and it wasn't before long that the page was filled front and back. Then the words started floating off of the paper, into the air. Each word stayed in the air for a few seconds, before disappearing. The dove stared intently at each word, as if trying to see something important. When the last word floated into the air and disappeared, the bird landed on my shoulder._

"_Ah… That's really confusing, no wonder… Hmm… I wonder how she'll take it…" The bird muttered and looked really worried. As if the words floating into the air showed her a really bad vision._

"_How I'll take what?" I asked._

"_Eh, forget about it… I'm going to warn you, that day is very important. Don't you forget about it, ever. And something important will happen soon… Try to accept it, ok?" The dove looked at me with sympathy._

"_What'll happen? Oh, you're not supposed to tell me, right?" I pleaded, but already knew the answer._

"_Sorry, I wish I could tell you, but I'm not supposed to interfere with the flow of events. Rules specifically given from Ra himself. Now go, claim the next piece of your personality." The dove flew off of my shoulder, and disappeared from sight._

"_Figures, she doesn't give me almost any clue of what's gonna happen and then leaves me all alone." I reached out for the heart. The second my hand touched it, I was blinded by a bright red glow._

* * *

"Ow… My head's killing me…" I muttered, and sat up. Somehow, I was lying down in a bed… No, in an infirmary! What was I doing in an infirmary? I looked around at the monitor next to me, showing a normal heart rate. "What the heck…?"

"It's a miracle! She's alive, and in perfect heath! It's unbelievable... And we didn't do a thing!" A doctor next to me exclaimed. As if I was going to die before.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alive, and all that, so hurrah! I am so happy." My voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my friends." I jumped down from the bed, and landed on my feet. But my legs started to wobble after a few seconds and they felt weak. Then I collapsed onto the floor, feeling like I had run three marathons in a day, which is to say… My legs couldn't support me.

"Hmm, seems that you haven't fully recovered yet… You'll need to use these to stand up, and move around." Another doctor handed something to me. I gulped when I looked at it. _Just when I thought my luck was bad enough! Were they trying to make me kill someone here?_

"You expect me to use these?" My eyes widened, as I held up a pair of crutches.

"Yeah, do you have a problem with that?" The doctor asked, looking curious.

_Yeah, I do_,_ as a matter of fact. I have a bit of a bad history with crutches… It was a while back in the orphanage, when I broke a leg because I fell out of a tree on accident. The nurse at the orphanage made me use crutches to help me walk around. I was perfectly fine with that, but later on at night, something really unexpected happened… I was sound asleep, and I didn't know what had happened. But later on, people told me I was running around trying to attack people by swinging one of my crutches like a baseball bat. I only stopped when I woke up, and even then, I was in mid swing, about to hit another kid. And by then, I had scared the crap out of everyone at the orphanage. From then on, the orphanage made sure to keep the crutches far out of my grasp or any other kids' for that matter. And then the next time I needed crutches again, the same exact thing happened. The orphanage just decided to ban the use of crutches all together. Heh, I'm such a wacky sleep walker… Wonder what would happen if I was holding a knife when I fell asleep… Or a sword… Or a-_

"Is there a problem with that?" The doctor repeated, snapping me back to reality.

"No sir, not a problem at all." I stood up, with the help of the crutches. "Thanks a lot." Then I limped out of the room, and tried to find my way to the balcony where everyone else hopefully was. "And hopefully, I won't fall asleep today and start trying to kill people again. Aw, where's Lucifer when you need him! I'd love to have an excuse to start whacking him in the head. "

* * *

They were there, apparently watching Yami dueling Joey on the dueling arena. I leaned on one crutch, and waved with the other one, so I wouldn't fall. "Hey, guys!"

They all turned around, and looked really relieved.

"Oh, Roxy, you're alright! Thank goodness!" Bakura smiled. _Why is everybody looking at me like I was going to die before? What happened to make me be in the infirmary?_

"What happened to me anyway? It's all kinda fuzzy… The last thing I remember… Uh… Was my duel…" I stuttered.

"Well uh… How do I explain this? You uh… Passed out before you could duel, so you got disqualified out of the tournament." Tristan said nervously. I must have looked really disappointed, because Tristan immediately looked guilty for telling me. "Sorry about that."

"Oh. I would have loved to duel Pegasus myself, but it looks like Yugi or Joey will have to beat him for me." I shrugged, and looked at the duel that was going on.

* * *

The duel was really intense, both of them trying their best… But in the end, Yami revived Joey's Black Skull Dragon, and used it to destroy Joey's Thousand Dragon, and Joey's life points dropped to zero. The winner was… Yami.

The two walked up to the balcony to greet the rest of us. And the first thing Joey did was pull me into a tight hug. My crutches fell onto the floor, and my feet dangled in the air.

"Rox! We all thought you were going to be gone for good, you little grey head!" Joey laughed.

"Can't… Breathe… Suffocating… Let… Go!" I gasped.

"Oh, eh, heh, sorry!" Joey scratched his head, and I stood on the floor for five seconds, before my knees buckled, and I fell onto the ground.

"Ugh, I still need my crutches…" I stood up, this time using my crutches.

"It's great to see you better, Roxy. We all got worried after you fainted." Yugi smiled.

"Yeah… Go kick Pegasus' butt for me, ok?" I smirked.

"I will. Don't you worry about that!" Yugi laughed.

"That reminds me, Yug, here. You won, so you deserve the prize money." Joey was going to give Yugi the card that would let Yugi claim the prize money.

But Yugi shook his head. "Joey, I didn't come here to get rich, I'm going to save Grandpa's, Mokuba's, and Kaiba's souls. So keep the money and use it for your sister's eye operation."

"Yug… I don't know what to say… Thanks!" Joey grinned, and stuffed the card into his pocket. "You're the best. I had almost lost all hope to save my sister, and here you are proving me wrong."

"Aw, it's so touching! Ok, Yugi, we'll all be cheering you on! Now go beat the crap out of Pegasus for all of us and- AH!" I pumped my fist into the air. But I forgot I needed my crutches, and fell onto the floor. "Ouch… I think I need to remember not to do that next time, until I don't need crutches anymore."

The rest of the gang laughed, and for a moment all the pressure had just disappeared.

Then I remembered. I took out both pieces of the gem, and tried to attach them next to each other. They fit right in place, and when I went to see if I needed to glue them… No need to. They were stuck together, as if they were never broken apart before. Just one more piece to go, and maybe I can help R regain her lost memory back. And at least gain my personality back.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Yay, I'm done another chapter! I'm so proud xD Anyway, thanks to all the reviewers, readers, and ect… Hope you liked it! ^^ Sorry I took a while to update.**


	13. Chapter 12 Crutches are Useful

**Inner Apocalypse**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 12- Crutches Are Useful**

It was time for the last duel… Yami against Pegasus. The two opponents faced each other on opposite sides of the dueling arena while the rest of us looked from the balcony. Tristan started to walk off.

"Hey Tristan, where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to see if I can find Mokuba or Kaiba's body. If I can find at least one of them, Yugi won't have as much to worry about. Cheer Yugi on for me, ok?" Tristan walked out of sight.

"… Good luck. I will But don't go getting yourself in any trouble…" I muttered.

I glanced back down at the dueling platform.

"Pegasus, you have to promise that if I win, you'll release my grandpa's as well as the Kaiba brothers' souls!" Yami demanded.

"Why of course! I always keep my promises. Now, show your entry card so we can start." Pegasus continued talking in his usual cheery voice.

"Fine, here." Yami showed the card to Croquet, the blank one.

"If you win, you can have any prize of your desire… But if you lose, well, there's a reason your card is blank-" Pegasus smirked.

That's when it hit me. There was a reason the card was blank. A big one. If Pegasus used blank cards to seal Mokuba and Seto's souls away…

"-If I win, then I claim your soul, for eternity, Yugi- boy!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take, if it means you'll free the other's souls, and I don't plan on losing!" Yami was confident.

Croquet cleared his throat. "Ok, the final match of the Duelist Kingdom will commence! The winner will be crowned King of Games!"

Two men came to the dueling ring, each holding a tray covered with a cloth. One tray carried Yugi's deck, and the other carried Pegasus'. They walked across the arena, handing them opponent's deck to shuffle. Yami shuffled Pegasus' deck, and placed it back on the tray. Pegasus only taps Yugi's deck.

"It's as good as it is." Pegasus shrugged.

The two men returned the decks back to their original owners, and the duel was ready to begin.

**(Yami LP - 2000 Pegasus LP - 2000)**

Yami sets one card face down, and a monster card face down, in defense mode.

"Well, that monster wouldn't be a Beaver Warrior, would it?" Pegasus asked.

I bit my lip. _Pegasus' Millennium Eye lets him read Yami's mind… That gives him a really unfair advantage…_

Pegasus plays one card face down and Red Archery Girl in defense mode. **(1500 DEF)**

_Why would Pegasus do that? Red Archery Girl is a really weak monster… Unless he wants Yami to attack… _

"I switch my Beaver Warrior to attack mode! **(1200 ATK)** Then I activate Horn of the Unicorn!" Yami had decided to attack. The Horn of the Unicorn card added 700 more attack points to Beaver Warrior, to 1900. "Attack Red Archery Girl!"

Pegasus looked calm, and merely activated his face down card. "I activate my trap card, Tears of a Mermaid!" The card destroyed the Horn of the Unicorn, and returned Beaver Warrior's attack to 1200. "Now, I switch Red Archery Girl to attack mode! **(1400 ATK)** Now, attack Beaver Warrior!" The mermaid pulled the arrow back, and shot it using her bow at the monster, destroying it.

**(Yami LP- 1800 Pegasus LP – 2000)**

"Hey, Yugi had the upper hand, but Pegasus knew exactly how to counter!" Tea gasped.

"How could he? Maybe Pegasus can read minds…" Joey scratched his head in confusion.

"He can… His Millennium Eye lets him read other people's minds, so he knew exactly what Yugi was going to do." I frowned. How could Yami win, if Pegasus can always find a way to counter every move he made?

"That dirty little cheater!" Joey growled.

"Yeah… I don't know how Yugi's going to win this duel… Especially if Pegasus knows all the moves he's going to make!" I sighed.

"Hey, Roxy, don't give up on Yugi yet, we have to believe in him." Bakura said.

"Yeah… I guess. We can't give up on him already." I forced a slight smile. For Yami's sake, we had to believe he could win. "Hey guys, I'm going to go check on Tristan, cheer Yugi on for me, ok? Tell him no matter what, I know he's going to win." With that, I limped off, my crutches clacking against the marble floor.

* * *

I wandered around in the castle, not knowing where Tristan had gone… Until I heard voices.

"Hand Mokuba over, now!" A gruff voice demanded.

I looked over the corner, and saw Tristan carrying Mokuba on his back, surrounded by two guards. They were blocking any room for escape. _I have to find a way to help him… But I can't do much, since I'm kinda crippled, needing crutches here… Wait a minute! Crutches…_

"Hey, you pathetic excuse for guards!" I shouted, walking into the hallway, a few feet from one guard.

"Girly, I suggest you move, before you get hurt." The guard chuckled, and cracked his knuckles.

"Rox, run for it!" Tristan urged.

"… What did you call me?" My eye twitched in annoyance.

"You got a problem with that, **girly**?" The guard taunted. When I started growing mad, the guard just laughed. "What are you going to do, throw a doll at me?"

"No." I took a deep breath. I would only have a few seconds to do this, and there was no room for mistake.

I let one of my crutches fall to the ground, and I held the other one with both hands. My legs already started to shake. I swung the crutch, and hit the guard square in the forehead.

"I was going to knock you out with a crutch." I threw the crutch at the other guard, and made a loud thwack when it hit his head. The two fell unconscious to the floor. My legs were already getting sore, and I dropped to the ground, exhausted.

"Come on you two! Let's escape while we have the chance." I heard a familiar British accent.

"Bakura?" I muttered, and sat up. He bent down, handing me my crutches.

"We have to hurry." He said, and ran off in one direction, Tristan carried Mokuba and followed.

I stood up with my crutches, and hesitated on following him. _He seems… Different._ The guards started stirring, muttering about crazy girls. I gulped, and limped after them. I didn't have enough energy to pull off another stunt like I did before. And I definitely didn't want to be around when they woke up.

* * *

We ran up stone stair cases, Tristan in front of me still carrying Mokuba on his back, and Bakura behind me. Tristan ran out of a door, leading to a small ledge. Underneath the ledge was a forest, way below. Tristan almost fell down, but me and Bakura managed to pull him back up, before he fell.

"Well… Jumping's out of the question, so I say we're as good as caught." Tristan sighed. We all looked down the staircase. I could hear the guards running and yelling. They were just at the bottom of the staircase. "Well, we tried."

"We're not captured yet!" Bakura argued.

"Hate to break it to ya, but we are definitely outnumbered." I groaned.

"Not if I enlist some help from the Shadow Realm." Bakura smirked, and pulled out his dueling deck.

_Shadow Realm? Don't tell me this is the evil spirit from the Ring again!_

'_Hate to break it to you, but you're right.' R grimaced. 'I think I ought to take things from here.'_

_

* * *

_

R

"It's all over, hand the prisoner back now, and we might let you leave in one place." One of the guards shouted.

"You ignorant mortals, it's far from over. We haven't even begun to play." Bakura laughed, a dark sinister laugh.

"Give up already!" Another guard shouted.

"I'll teach you the true meaning of fear!" Bakura smirked.

"Bakura, stop! Nobody deserves that kind of fate!" My eyes widened, as I saw him hold up, the Man- Eater- Bug card.

"Stay out of this!" Bakura turned towards me, eyes gleaming with menace. "I summon the Man- Eater Bug, with the power of my Millennium Ring!"

Bakura's Ring glowed, and a ghostly image of a Man- Eater –Bug appeared on the stairs. It growled, and crawled towards the guards, attacking them. The guards scream with fear.

"Present day humans are so much fun to terrorize." Bakura smirked.

"I don't agree… But then again, I am a present day human. What the heck are you?" Tristan gulped.

"I'm someone with great power. But I can't spend all day having fun, I have other things to do. I summon the Morphing Jar!" Bakura held up his card, and his Ring glowed once more. "The Jar will send these thugs away to the graveyard."

The Jar appeared, and the monster living in it popped out of the jar, swallowing the guards.

We walked down the steps to find that the only thing remaining from the guards were sunglasses with a cracked lense.

"I have no patience for obstacles that get in my way… Remember that." Bakura warned.

"You're not really Bakura are you? You're the one Yugi banished to the graveyard. I was hoping you'd stay there for good."

**(Author Note: Personally, I have nothing against Yami Bakura, but apparently R does. ^^')**

"Well, too bad, your hoping didn't stop me from coming back. And I would have never lost if Bakura hadn't betrayed me. I think I need a new host, one without a mind or soul of its own." Bakura paced around, and stopped.

"You want Mokuba!" Tristan gasped, realizing his true motives.

"Don't you even dare lay a finger on him!" I warned.

"What are you going to do? If you don't hand him over the easy way, the two of you will suffer the same fate as those guards." Bakura laughed, as we looked at the floor where the guards once stood. "Now hand over Mokuba's body, or I'll conjure something to consume your souls."

"Why do you even need a vessel that won't resist you?" I asked, hoping to stall for time.

"Ah, well, R, I thought you'd remember, but I guess you lost your memory, unlike me… And I know a lot of things about you that you don't know. What if I told you I'd make a deal. Give me Mokuba's body, and I'll tell you you're real name. After all, you can't attack, being so weak that the moment." Bakura offered.

I bit my lip. I could tell he was telling the truth… No, I can't side with him! "…" I must have looked really tempted, because Tristan started freaking out.

"Roxanna, don't listen to him! See, I know you're name too." Tristan panicked.

"… I'm not Roxy." I turned towards Bakura. "Well… You're offer is quite tempting… And I decided…" I started walking towards him, and he smirked. "No." I gave him a good whack in the head with my crutches, and he fell unconscious on the floor. "I have more strength than my host does, so the crutches aren't needed."

"Roxy-? I thought you needed the crutches! And of course you're Roxy!" Tristan looked confused.

"Well… Roxanna needs them. I don't. And I'm not Roxy. I'll explain later… We have to get out of here, first, then I'll tell you, ok?" I held the crutches in my hand, and started walking away.

"Wait, I have to do something first." Tristan took Bakura's Ring.

"What are you-?" I asked.

Tristan walked up to the top of the stairs, that led to the ledge, and hurled the Ring into the woods. "So long evil spirit, and don't come back!" But I had a bad feeling we didn't see the last of him yet.

* * *

Tristan carried both Mokuba and Bakura, as the we made our way to the balcony.

"Where have you guys been?" Joey asked.

"Well the evil spirit from the Millennium Ring took over Bakura and tried to get Mokuba as his host. But don't worry, Tristan handled it!" I smiled brightly.

"And apparently, this isn't Rox, but a different person…" Tristan added.

I could tell the other had questions, but right now we had bigger problems. "Time for explanations later! Right now we have to see what's going on with Yugi…" I looked down at the dueling arena, veiled in a dome of dark energy. We left Mokuba and Bakura on the balcony, along with my crutches.

We ran down the steps to get to the dueling arena, a few feet from the cloud of darkness. I felt a jolt of pain arch through my body, and judging by the looks on the other's faces, they did too… _Something's happening to Yugi, I just know it! _I kneeled on the ground, my breathing starting to grow faint. _If I feel like this, it must be twice as painful for him!_

"You ok?" Joey asked.

"I'll be fine… But you guys felt it too, right?" I glanced at the rest of them, and they all nodded. "Yugi's in trouble, and we can't help him in any way!"

* * *

We waited impatiently, waiting to see the outcome of the duel. The entire time, the pain hadn't left me, so I guessed that Yugi was suffering greatly. Then, all of a sudden, a felt a really sharp pain that pierced my heart. And the others looked like they felt it too. Then, the pain just faded away. But not in a good way. It was as if Yugi had just… Disappeared.

"Something happened to Yugi!" Tea gasped.

"Yeah… he's hurt, really bad… He just disappeared, didn't he?" I gulped.

"I don't fell his presence either." Joey shook his head.

"Me neither…" Tristan sighed.

"We have to help him!" Tea ran into the shadows, only she comes back the way she went. She reached her hand into the dark dome, and her own hand reaches back out to her.

"Stand back, there has to be a way in!" Tristan charged into the cloud, and disappeared.

"Tristan!" We yelled.

He ran back in the way he came. "No… Pegasus clearly designed this to make sure we don't get in." And clearly, it was working.

"We have to do something! We have to try reaching out to him! Remember that friendship pact we made?" Tea suggested.

"Yeah!" Both Tristan and Joey nodded.

"Eh… No, but I'm guessing I didn't know you then." I laughed nervously. "But still, I know we can try. We have to."

The four of us put our hands together, and while the others looked at the dome, I closed my eyes, and felt my Millennium Hourglass start to glow. _Yugi, we're going to help you, even if we can't see you!_

* * *

I blinked. Somehow we had been able to get in touch with Yami, and all of us could see the duel. On Pegasus' side of the field was a disgusting looking monster, and it seemed as if the Black Magician was molded into it as well as a Jigen Bakudan (a bomb thing…). And on Yami's field was… Only once card face down. Things weren't looking good for him.

Yami drew his card, and Pegasus grinned. "Let's see what card you've drawn!" A gold glow came from his Millennium Eye. Yami stared defiantly back at Pegasus. Then his smile faded. "What? I should be able to see every thougth in Yugi's mind!"

Roxy and I were holding Yugi's limp soul, and Tea and Tristan stood next to me. Joey stood next to Tea. We were blocking Pegasus from seeing the card that Yami just drew.

"Not anymore, get out of Yugi's mind, you trespasser!" Joey said.

Pegasus was forced to retreat as we pushed him out of Yami's mind.

"Thanks, you guys." Yami smiled gratefully at us.

"Pegasus, you just don't get it!" Tea glared.

"You think your eye makes all the difference!" Joey sighed.

"But you're wrong! Friends do." Tristan finished.

"Even Millennium Items have their limits, you know." I stroked my hourglass. "There are some things you can't do, no matter what. But if you really do have true friends, you can always count on them to back you up."

"You only rely on your Millennium Eye and forcing Yugi into a Shadow Game to win. But now, you can't cheat anymore." Roxy stuck out her tounge.

"They're right, and with my friends by my side, I'll defeat you!" Yami smiled, and he seemed to be brimming with renewed confidence. "I play the Mystic Box!" A box surrounded Jigen Bakudan, and another encased the Black Magician. When the boxes reopened, the Dark Magician was free and went back to Yami's side of the field, and the Bakudan was stuck in Relinquished. So now when the Bakudan exploded, only Relinquished would be destroyed.

Pegasus drew, and grimaced. "I can't do a thing, so I pass."

**(Yami LP – 400 Pegasus LP – 600)**

Yami played a card. "Now I use Brain Control!" Relinquished, along with the Bakudan was moved onto his side of the field, now in his control. "And I'll use the card that Yugi left on the field, Dark Magic Ritual! So I offer up your Jigen Bakudan, and my Dark Magician! To summon the Magician of Black Chaos!" **(ATK 2800)**

My eyes widened as the powerful Magician appeared on the field. It radiated with dark, powerful energy. The monster stood on the field wielding its staff, and stared at Pegasus with confidence.

* * *

In the end, Yami used his Magician of Black Chaos, and destroyed Pegasus' Thousand Eye Restrict. Pegasus' life points dropped to zero. Yami had won!

**(Yami LP – 100 Pegasus LP – 0) **

Pegasus held his head and yelled. "NO!"

I blinked, and found that all of us were back in our bodies outside of the Shadow Realm.

The dome started to fade slowly, and I saw Roxanna in spirit form next to me. '_Well, my job is done!' I winked._

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

When I regained control of my body, I stumbled around a bit. My legs were still a bit shaky. But the cloud of dark energy had completely faded now, and standing there was… Yugi! He looked perfectly fine! I was just going to walk over had congratulate him for winning, but I fell before I could reach him.

A pair of arms caught me before I reached the ground, and my face grew red when I saw it was Yugi. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Well, Yug, looks like you finally did it! You- " Before Joey could finish, Tea pushed him back.

"What Joey's trying to say is that it's great that your Grandpa's going to be ok!" Tea smiled.

"Yeah, bit also-" Joey said.

"Also we want to say that we're impressed that you were so brave." Tristan interrupted.

"And-" Joey started yet again.

"We're proud of you too." I smirked, knowing that we must have said everything Joey was going to say.

"AGH! You guys are saying everything I wanted to say!" Joey complained. "Ah never mind, all that matters is Yugi won!"

While Joey, Tristan and Tea cheered, I stood up, my legs wobbling. "I'm gonna go get my crutches, be right back."

When I came back, they seemed to be discussing something.

"Pegasus still needs to release their souls." Tea pointed out.

Everyone got serious again, and looked back at where Pegasus stood… And he was gone. The only evidence that showed he was there were the Duel Monster cards scattered on his side of the dueling mat.

"Why am I not surprised?" Joey sighed, clearly annoyed.

"That Slippery- Double- Crossing- Snake!" Tristan growled. "Let's go find him!"

"What about Bakura and Mokuba?" I remembered the two were still unconscious on the balcony.

"Hey!" Everyone looked up at the balcony to see Bakura up, and waving at us with a bright smile. "Up here!"

"Feeling back to normal?" Tristan asked.

Bakura looked at us, perplexed. "Normal? Have I not been normal, Tristan?"

"He must not remember about that Ring… Yeah, that Ring you wore made you act like a freak again." Tristan nodded.

"His Millennium Ring? Where is it now?" Yugi looked a little nervous.

"Gone, I chucked it as far as I could." Tristan sounded a bit guilty.

"Oh well, if it was making me act weird, I guess it's for the best." Bakura shrugged. "It looks like I'm fine now."

"Then can you watch Mokuba for us?" I shouted, and Bakura nodded.

The five of us ran out of the dueling arena, ready to look for Pegasus. After all, he made a promise and he's going to keep it.

* * *

We were at the top of the castle, running along, but we hadn't spotted that evil cheating man anywhere.

"He couldn't have gotten far!" Joey panted.

"I hope so, because he's the only one who can release their souls." Yugi looked worried.

'_Are you guys looking for Pegasus?' R appeared next to me._

'_Yeah, it's pretty obvious. And we can't find him anywhere.' I sighed._

'_Well… What if I told you I know where he is?' R asked._

'_I'd tell you to show me where he is.' I replied._

'_Your wish is my command…' R flashed a mischievous smile, before disappearing._

My hourglass was floating in front of me, and started dragging me in one direction, towards a tower. I almost tripped, and I had to move faster to keep up with the hourglass.

"Wait, Roxy, where are you going?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know, I think to Pegasus!" I gulped, and didn't dare slow down. The rest of the gang ran to catch up with me. _'R, I told you to show me where he was, not drag me to him!'_

* * *

While running to the tower, we heard Pegasus screaming 'no'. _That can't be good…_ We finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Croquet and a few of Pegasus' other guards were carrying Pegasus on his back. He was moaning.

"What happened to Pegasus?" Yugi asked.

"It's none of your concern, Pegasus has taken ill." Croquet said quickly.

"What about him promising to free the souls! He promised that he would!" I reminded him, but Croquet just walked past the all of us.

"Sorry, not my department."

"Did you see Pegasus? I wonder what could have done that to him…" Tristan shivered.

"Let's go check out the tower for some clues." My hourglass had finally stopped floating and dragging me around.

We went into the tower, and looked around. Joey and Tristan were looking at the portrait of a lady that was also in the dining room. Tea picked up a journal. "Look it's Pegasus' diary! This could explain why he set up the Duelist Kingdom!"

The journal talked about how Pegasus loved this girl, called Cecilia. A little bit after they got married, she died. After that, Pegasus mourned, and went into Egypt. There, he met a mysterious person who gave him the Millennium Eye. After that, Pegasus thought that he could bring Cecelia back with the help of the Millennium Items and the virtual technologies from Kaiba Corp.

Tea closed the journal, and I felt kind of bad for Pegasus. Sure, it was horrible that he manipulated Yugi to come to the tournament by using his grandpa's soul as bait, and took both the Kaiba brother's souls, but… Losing a loved one is always heart wrenching.

I looked back at the table, and there were three blank soul cards. "Look!"

"That could mean that Pegasus did keep his promise!" Joey smiled.

"Yeah, let's go see if he did!" Tristan grinned.

Now everyone was smiling.

We all ran down the steps, to see if it was actually true.

* * *

After a while, I noticed that Yugi was missing. Where could he be?

"Guys, I'm going back to check on Yugi, ok?" I said, before limping up the steps again.

I paused, when I saw a man wearing a robe and turban blocking my path. Yugi was in front of him, and apparently having a conversation. All of a sudden, the man turned towards me, a golden key around his neck. _Another Millennium Item?_

"Are you the one who stole Pegasus' Millennium Eye?" He asked.

"What?" I was really confused now. What was he talking about?

The guy held up the key, as if trying to open a door. But he was aiming it at my forehead.

"Shadi, wait!" Yugi shouted, but too late. The guy pressed the key at my forehead, and turned it.

_

* * *

_

Narrator

Shadi looked around, intrigued yet again. Inside Roxanna's mind were two doors, just like Yugi's was. He glanced in the open one. It was surrounded in ice, the walls, the floor, the ceiling, all of it was ice. The only other thing in the room was a small picture, of a family. Shadi shook his head. Even though this girl's heart was solid ice, she had no intention of taking all the Millennium Items.

He looked at the other door, which was closed. The door was white, with a golden Millennium eye symbol on it. Shadi turned the doorknob, and pushed the door open. His eyes widened.

This room was completely different from the other one. It was like a tropical jungle, with trees and plants blooming everywhere, and the air was humid. Birds flied around, singing cheerful tunes. In the middle of the room was a chair, where a girl sat. R. A bird landed on her shoulder, and R stroked its head. She looked at Shadi with bright blue eyes.

"May I help you at all?" She asked.

"Well, I was looking around to see if you were the one who took Pegasus' Millennium Eye, but I can see that I was wrong." Shadi shook his head. This girl was too nice to have done it.

"Ok then. Will you kindly leave my host's mind? I think she doesn't appreciate you being here." R shrugged, and the bird flew off of her shoulder, into a tree.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

I blinked, and saw that guy, Shadi was gone. Yugi walked over to me.

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, let's get back to the others before they start worrying about us!" I managed a smile, and stumbled down the stairs, Yugi following behind me. _What happened back there…?_

We ran onto the balcony, and saw Bakura kneeling over Mokuba, and the others gathered around him. Me and Yugi caught up with the others.

"Hey, Mokuba, you ok?" I bent down, and started ruffling his hair. "You had us all worried."

Mokuba blinked, before smiling. "Oh, Roxy, I missed you so much!" He held my in a death hug.

"Can't. Breathe!" I gasped.

"Oh, sorry…" Mokuba smiled sheepishly. "I haven't seen you in forever! I bet Seto will be happy to see you too…" Then his face fell. "We need to find him, my big brother!"

Croquet stepped into the balcony. "Mr. Pegasus can't attend due to his illness, but all prizes will still be awarded. Yugi Moto has already gotten his demand of three souls being freed, and he also gets this, the Ties of Friendship card. He is now officially King of Games. Also, the check of the three million dollar prize money."

Yugi took the card, but looked up at Joey smiling. "Take the money. It's all yours, just like I promised."

Joey smiled gratefully at Yugi. "Thanks, Yug, you're the best!" Joey took the envelope with the check.

"Well, looks like everybody got what we came to this tournament for, huh?" I smiled.

* * *

"Seto! Big brother!" Mokuba cried, but nothing answered his call. We had searched everywhere in the castle! But we didn't even see any sign of Kaiba. Then the huge entrance doors started opening with loud creaking sounds. Seto stood there, smiling.

"Big brother!" Mokuba ran up to him, embracing him in a hug, crying with happiness.

_Must be nice to have an older brother that you can always count on, no matter what. Well, I used to…_ My eyes started to water, but I blinked the tears away. I wasn't going to ruin this happy moment.

Seto looked at me, and raised an eyebrow, a face full of amusement and a little fear. "They actually let you use crutches? Are they trying to get themselves killed?"

"Maybe." I grinned.

"Wait, what happened with crutches the last time you had them?" Joey gulped.

A shadow fell over my eyes. "You don't need to know." The gang looked even more nervous, and I laughed. "Joking, joking! I only had a sleepwalking incident."

Kaiba and Mokuba walked away, ready to head home.

I looked at Yugi, and a faint outline of Yami in spirit form was next to him. I looked over to my right, and sure enough, R was there. The two spirits looked at each other. I gave Yami a small wave, and Yugi gave R a nod.

"Wait, I just remembered, how are we going to get out of this island, we came here on the ship!" Joey panicked.

"Oh great!" I groaned.

We all rushed out to catch up with Kaiba, seeing if he could give us a lift.

Except he had already taken off in his helicopter.

I threw my crutches aside, and jumped into the ocean, swimming after the copter.

"Seto, wait!" I yelled, and felt a bit of water get in my eye. But I didn't really worry about it. "We're going to be stuck on this island if you don't give us a ride home!"

* * *

All of us were in the helicopter, and I was drying myself off. But no matter what I did, my eyes felt weird. I looked in the tiny mirror I had, and groaned. I lost my colored contacts, so my eyes were they're natural green. _Must have lost them when I was swimming…_

'_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to jump into the ocean.' R laughed._

My face turned red. _'Oh be quiet, R… Um… It's kinda hard to reprimand you when I don't know you're full name.' _

'_Exactly! And since I don't know it either, you can't!' R stuck out her tounge._

'_Hey, remember we're sharing my body, so you better behave… Or… I'll get you back!' I smirked. 'You know I will.'_

'_Don't you dare burn my room again, it took ages to fix!' R glared._

I accidentally started laughing out loud, and everyone gave me a weird look. "Um… I'm just happy that everything's ok, now!"

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Yeah! The end of Duelist Kingdom! Sorry I didn't update earlier, but just to make up for it, I made this one extra long! :) Hope you liked it!**


	14. Chapter 13 Connections Revealed pt1

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 13- Connections Revealed pt 1**

_Roxanna_

As soon as all of us arrived in Domino City, we all went to the hospital to check on Yugi's grandfather. We ran down the halls, and surprisingly, none of the nurses or doctors yelled at us. When we reached a lobby, to our surprise, he was already awake, looking perfectly healthy, and standing next to a lady, which I guessed was Yugi's mom. **(A/N: In the American version they took Yugi's mom out of one scene she was supposed to be in. But it's her!) **

"What, are you surprised that I'm up and about already?" the old man smiled brightly.

"Grandpa!" Tears of happiness streamed out of Yugi's eyes as he ran to embrace his grandpa.

The rest of us just watched with smiles as the two finally were reunited. A tear fell out of my eye. Happy reunions were always one of my soft spots.

* * *

We were walking out of the hospital to Yugi's house, and telling his grandpa all about what happened during Duelist Kingdom.

"Yugi, so you not only saved me, but you won the tournament too?" Yugi's grandfather seemed to beam with pride.

"Well, I didn't do it alone," Yugi laughed. "Everyone helped."

Then of course Joey goes and starts to brag about how much he improved since last time Yugi's grandpa saw him duel.

Then his grandfather seemed to have finally noticed me. "So who are you?"

A sweat drop formed on my face, and I laughed nervously. "Roxanna Hylkio, you can call me Roxy, Rox, or any other nickname that pops up. I met Yugi and the gang at the Duelist Kingdom, where they uh... Helped me out of a tight spot. I'm glad you're ok, now, Mr. Moto."

"Aw, just call me Grandpa like everyone else!" The old man smiled, but started frowning. "Say, have I met you before? Your name sounds awfully familiar."

I shook my head. "I don't think so, Mr. Mo- I mean Grandpa. Maybe you have me confused with someone else."

Grandpa shook his head, looking stubborn. "No, I'm sure I've heard your name before!"

"Er..." I stuttered. How was I supposed to answer him? I don't recall ever meeting, or even hearing about him before. Maybe he saw my name in that newspaper about the tournament...? But that wasn't likely; after all, the news only was available to a few people.

"Anyway, Grandpa, shouldn't you go home and rest, after all, you just got out of the hospital." Yugi tried to get his Grandpa's attention away from me. And it worked.

"Don't be silly, I feel great!" Grandpa smiled, and to prove his point, he started stretching to the left, then to the right. When he stretched back, there was a loud crack.

"Grandpa, are you ok?" Yugi asked, clearly worried. The rest of us were equally concerned.

"Nah, I'm fine, just a bit stiff." His grandpa's laugh was a bit strained.

We all sighed with relief.

"Hey, I've got something to say to you!" The high pitched voice came out of nowhere. Everyone looked up, to see a young girl standing next to a bunch of suitcases and outside the entrance to a Game shop. The girl was probably younger than the rest of us, and looked even shorter than me! She had blonde hair, up in pigtails and green eyes, apparently clutching a teddy bear tightly with one arm. _A teddy bear? How old is she, 5? _"That is, if you're who I think you are."

The girl dragged her suitcases and walked over to us. "Tell me, are you Solomon Moto?"

When she said the name, I frowned, trying to concentrate. Something about that name just seemed so familiar. _…Solomon, where have I heard that name before?_

"I am, and who might you be?" Grandpa asked. It was pretty obvious he had never seen this girl until today.

"Who might I be? I might be Rebecca. And I might have just arrived here in town." The girl gave us a sweet smile. "And I might have been waiting for you to get here! It's not nice to keep a lady waiting." With each word, she sounded even more angry and confident. Then she waved her finger at us, as if we were the rude ones!

_… This girl annoys me._

"What's a squirt like you doing here traveling all by yourself anyway? That's dangerous." Joey pointed out.

"Well, I can take care of myself, and if not, Teddy will protect me! Isn't that right, Teddy?" Rebecca started talking to her 'Teddy'.

"She talks to the bear?" Both me and Joey blurted.

"Rebecca, what is it that you want from me?" Grandpa talked, as if nothing unusual just happened.

"I want my card back. My Blue Eye's White Dragon, now give it back to me!" Rebecca demanded.

"Uh…" We all gave each other nervous glances. Even though I wasn't there at the time, the gang told me about how Kaiba had tore Yugi's Grandpa's Blue Eyes in half. That would kinda be hard to give back to anyone… But even if the card was intact, what right did this girl have to just claim it?

"The Blue Eyes White Dragon is a very powerful card that belongs only in the deck of a true champion! I, Rebecca, am the top duelist in America! I've beaten many top duelists when you were away." Rebecca looked proud.

"Whaaaaaat?" Everyone's jaw dropped.

"Aren't you a little young?" Tea asked.

"I'm twelve!" Rebecca pouted. **(Rebecca's twelve in the Japanese version, 8 in the American one.)**

"More like twelve inches tall…" Joey muttered, and Rebecca looked about ready to strangle him. I was about ready to strangle someone myself. Namely an annoying brat that I barely know named Rebecca.

Everyone looked pretty skeptical. This puny little girl is the best duelist in America?

"Wait, I remember reading an article before we left for Duelist Kingdom!" Yugi recalled.

"Oh! I remember reading one too! It was something to do with a Duel Monsters prodigy… Wait, you really are the National Champion from America?" My jaw dropped, and Rebecca looked offended.

"Well, I came in second in the Duelist Kingdom!" Joey said, hoping to impress the little girl.

"I know all about it. First place came to Yugi Moto. Second place went to Joey Wheeler, and third to Roxanna Hylkio, but only because she got disqualified." Rebecca didn't even seem the least bit interested, but Joey puffed up with pride. "But who cares about third and second, only first place really matters!"

First thought that popped up in my head: Beat the crap out of her.

But I restrained myself. Even if she was a very annoying pipsqueak, she was younger than me. I would usually never hurt anyone smaller than me. But I might make an exception for Rebecca if she keeps this up.

Joey on the other hand wasn't as calm. He wanted to probably strangle her, but Tristan held him back.

"… May I ask you, why you think that the card can be yours just because you have your title?" My voice was strained. I was very tempted to give her a good punch in the face.

"It's not because of my title. It's because Yugi's grandfather stole my Blue Eyes!" Rebecca shrugged.

It took all of my willpower to just stay put and not slap that girl. She accuses Yugi's grandpa for stealing?

"My grandfather would never steal!" Yugi glared at Rebecca, clearly angered that someone would even think that.

"There are only four Blue Eyes Dragon cards; Kaiba has three, and mine is missing! I demand to have the right to duel for it!" The girl pointed angrily at us. "Solomon Moto, if I win, you give that Blue Eyes White Dragon back to me!"

"Rebecca, it's not that he doesn't want to duel you, it just that card is-" Yugi tried to reason with her.

"To the arena!" Rebecca wouldn't even let him finish. She then held up the teddy bear in front of her, and made her voice slightly deeper. "I will eat you alive, grr!"

We all groaned. What would it take to get that squirt to actually listen to reason?

* * *

Everyone, including the annoying Rebecca went to Kaiba Land, one of Seto's amusement parks. It was decorated with a lot of statues of Kaiba's favorite monster, The Blue Eyes White Dragon. Ironic, since Rebecca's dueling for the same card…

"Hey Mokuba, can you do us a favor, pleeeeeaaaaase?" I looked at him with pleading eyes. The others looked at me with sweat drops. Me begging for something was a very rare sight nowadays.

"Depends, what do you guys need?" Mokuba looked at me, not even the least bit fazed. He was used to me begging like this, since I did it all the time at the orphanage.

"We need a Dueling Arena for something important, so pleeeeeaaaaase?" I repeated, dragging out the word for as long as I could.

"What you're asking for isn't easy. Kaiba Corp's dueling arenas are booked solid for the next three months-" Mokuba looked regretful. And everyone but me sighed in defeat.

"PLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAASE!" I begged, while everyone but Mokuba covered their ears.

"- But since we kind of owe you guys big time, sure." Mokuba shrugged.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I jumped up and down.

"Uh… Rox, did you eat any sugar before we got here?" Joey scratched his head.

I stopped, and looked back at him, looking the slightest bit embarrassed. "… Maybe… Oh who am I kidding, yeah. I had a chocolate bar, two cups of coffee, a few more pieces of candy, and a can of soda, or was it two...? Why do you ask?"

**(A/N: xD, I thought Roxy should have a fun side for once, don't ask.)**

Before Joey could answer, Rebecca squeezed her way through the gang, still hugging her teddy bear tightly. "What are we waiting for, let's get this duel on the road!"

Mokuba clearly looked confused, and I whispered to him. "Some crazy girl, I'll explain when I get the chance." He started giggling. "Anyway, thanks, and tell Seto I said hi, ok?"

* * *

Mokuba nodded, and led us through the hallways full of arenas until we reached an empty one, that seemed to be the farthest away from the rest of them. He gave us a small smile, before waving good-bye and walking away.

"Ok Mr. Moto, are you ready to duel?" Rebecca looked excited.

Yugi's grandpa nodded, but clearly looked tired.

"He can't duel you, he's in no shape to, after all, he just got out of the hospital this morning. I'll duel you instead." Yugi insisted.

Rebecca looked even more pleased. "That's even better! Rebecca, the Champion of America, versus Yugi Moto, winner of the Duelist Kingdom! Of course I'm going to win, he doesn't stand a chance, does he Teddy?" Then again, she made her voice a bit deeper, and snuggled with her teddy bear. "Not a chance, grr!" Then Rebecca skipped over happily to her side of the dueling field.

While Yugi and Rebecca stood on opposite sides of the arena, the rest of us watched from the sidelines. I glanced over at Yugi, surprised to see it was him dueling, and not Yami. Then I focused back onto the actual duel.

**(A/N: Not going to write the whole duel, just give you an idea of how it went…)**

**(Yugi LP: 2000 Rebecca LP: 2000)**

Rebecca started off by summoning Witch of the Black Forest, in attack mode. The Yugi easily destroyed it, with his Celtic Guardian.

**(Yugi LP: 2000 Rebecca LP: 1700)**

For some reason, I seemed to have seen or heard of that move somewhere… It seemed really familiar.

* * *

The duel went on, and Rebecca grew more serious. The duel started to turn towards her direction. Rebecca had a Cannon Soldier, and if she sacrificed a monster, she could attack Yugi's life points directly with it. And if Yugi tried to attack Cannon Soldier, the attack would only go to Rebecca's Millennium Shield, surrounded by the Ring of Magnetism, which would draw all the attacks towards the Shield.

**(Yugi LP: 1100 Rebecca LP: 1300)**

_Why do these moves seem so familiar?_

"She's really good, almost as if she learned dueling from someone as experienced as you, Gramps." Joey looked worried now.

"I was taught by someone more talented than a Moto could ever be! My grandpa was the best duelist ever!" Rebecca boasted, still clutching her teddy bear.

Yugi's grandpa's eyes widened, as if realizing something. "Rebecca, what's your last name?"

Rebecca smirked, with a childish glint in her eye. She looked a little pleased. "Took you long enough to ask! Yes, my name is Rebecca Hawkins!" _Hawkins? _"My grandfather is Professor Arthur Hawkins, the man who's Blue Eyes White Dragon you stole, and who's friendship you betrayed!" _Arthur Hawkins? _"Now, Yugi, you're going to pay for what your grandfather did!"

Everyone was about to shout their opinion, when I cleared my throat. "Rebecca, Grandpa, can I ask you something?"

Rebecca pouted, but sighed. "Fine, but make it quick."

Yugi's grandfather nodded. He seemed to be thinking about something, something important.

"… Have either of you heard of a man named… Named Faustus Night?" My voice was shaky, and the others looked worriedly at me.

"Rox, you ok? You look a bit pale." Tristan's voice was full of concern.

"I'm fine. Just answer the question, please." I said quickly.

"My grandfather has told me something about him, not lately though… But that's beside the point! Yugi's grandpa stole my grandfather's card!" Rebecca shook her head angrily.

"Faustus, yes, I knew him… Now I know why your name seemed so familiar! Where you the girl that Faustus adopted?" Yugi's grandpa snapped his fingers with realization.

I nodded, my face grim. "… Yeah. But that was a very, very long time ago."

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Sorry it's so short, the next one will probably be too, because talking about Rebecca isn't that fun. xD Anyway I just got this done in less than an hour, so I'm proud! ^^ Thanks for reading if you did!**


	15. Chapter 14 Connections Revealed pt2

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 14- Connections Revealed pt 2**

_Roxanna_

I bit my lip. So it was true. The reason Yugi's grandfather seemed to recall my name… Because he was a friend of my adoptive father. Why hadn't I remembered earlier? After all, he always talked about 'Solomon' and 'Arthur' whenever Egypt or Duel Monsters were brought up… Maybe because I was too scared to try? Too scared to remember anything about my adoptive father.

Or maybe… Just too scared to be let down yet again.

I had been lied to so many times, my heart broken to smaller pieces each time. My family promised they'd always be there to help me. They all died. Seto and Mokuba promised that the three of us would always be family. We were all split apart. Lucifer promised that we'd be best friends till the end of time. He murdered my adoptive father and betrayed me. Professor Night promised that I would actually have a real family again. He was killed. All of them broke their hollow promises. Even if it was an accident, it still hurt so much just to know that they lied to me. I might as well have died during that car accident. At least I wouldn't have had to suffer as much as I have now. I don't think I could take another big blow like any of those ever again… Or my heart just might be permanently shattered.

The gang looked at me with curious and worried expressions. They all knew what happened to my adoptive father, but what did he have to do with Rebecca and Yugi's grandfathers?

"Rebecca, there's a story you need to hear. The story of how I met your grandfather, as well as Roxanna's adoptive father and of the dangers we faced together." Yugi's grandpa sounded surprisingly patient for a person being accused of stealing.

"And hear more of your lies? Forget it!" Rebecca turned her head away.

"No, it's true. And it was one of the most frightening experiences I had in my life." The old man shook his head. "It happened many years ago, but it's an adventure I'll never forget."

Yugi's grandfather cleared his throat, ready to begin his story. "I had traveled to Egypt to participate in an archeological dig. A discovery was made not far from the Great Pyramid. After a while of chipping away at the ground, I took a break. The desert was hotter and drier than I expected. I quickly finished off the last of the water in my canteen, but it wasn't enough to satisfy me. Another archeologist came up to me, and handed me his own canteen. I had chugged down the water quickly, and started choking. But my new friend, Arthur Hawkins, was just amused by my enthusiasm. He was a kind and very brilliant man."

"But in his field of archeology, he was viewed as a radical thinking because of his theories. He believed that Duel Monsters played a very important role in Duel Monsters history. In his studies of hieroglyphics, one word kept on turning up, over and over again. That one word was… Duel."

Everyone but me had their eyes widened in surprise, speechless. I had already heard this story. Not much of a surprise for me as to the others.

Yugi's grandpa continued with his story. "But Arthur's theories were dismissed as fantasies by all of his colleagues, that is all but one ambitious young man named Faustus Night. He respected Arthur's worked, and asked to help him in his studies. Arthur of course said yes. Then Arthur offered me to help with his work, and I gladly accepted. The three of us were exploring in an ancient cave. Carved on the walls were hieroglyphs that translated to 'By the spirits of the River Nile, I combine magic and monster to vanquish my enemy in our battle this day.' Arthur believed that the ancient Egyptians participated in duels, using Duel Monsters. To back up Arthur's idea, Faustus pointed at one of the drawings on a column and showed me the Giant Soldier of Stone Duel Monsters card he had. When I compared the two, they seemed almost identical! We all came to a conclusion that the Egyptians must have played a similar game to Duel Monsters. And soon enough we discovered a link between the Millennium Items and the game."

Yugi gasped, and I so did I. My adoptive father never told me that! But why not?

"The Millennium Items?" Yugi asked. "What kind of link?"

Yugi's grandfather shook his head. "That… Remains a mystery. I was just as surprised as you were." "The Egyptians didn't play these games for fun or money, but for the power to rule the world. The inscriptions spoke of a place called the Shadow Realm, where powerful monsters dwelled, and powerful warriors battled for dominion over the Earth. The ancient Egyptians played the game in that realm, and the stakes were the fate of the earth."

The second he mentioned 'Shadow Realm', my hourglass started glowing, and turned uncomfortably hot. As if trying to tell me that the place was horrible.

Everyone was amazed, including me. My adoptive father never elaborated on this part of the story.

"So is that where your Blue Eyes came from? Mr. Hawkins gave it to you?" Tea asked.

"That's right." Yugi's grandfather nodded.

"You liar!" Rebecca shouted, for about the tenth time. "You were never my grandfather's friend! And he would have never given his Blue Eyes White Dragon away! Isn't that right, Teddy?"

"No, Rebecca, I didn't. I couldn't have." Yugi's grandpa shook his head. "Because at that moment, the ancient tomb caved around us!"

Everyone gasped, other than me. This part of the story, I was very familiar with.

"The tomb caved in?" Even Rebecca looked surprised.

"Yes, and we were trapped us in the tomb. We lit our lamps, and waited for help. But none came. All of us had quickly eaten all the food we had with us. Nothing was left, but a canteen with water only enough for one person. Arthur had then suggested we duel, to pass the time. At first, all three of us thought it was a good idea. But when I suggested that we put the remaining water on the line, Faustus quickly declined. He said that he was more young and fit than we were, and didn't need it. So he watched as me and Arthur began our duel. In Arthurs first turn, he played Witch of the Black Forest. Wasn't it the same card you played, Rebecca? Your grandfather was the one who taught you to duel, wasn't it?"

Rebecca just huffed, and looked away.

"Forget about her, just go on with the story!" Tea insisted.

"Well, you see-" Yugi's grandpa began.

"No more lies! You're just making this all up! Just continue with this duel!" Rebecca yelled.

"Some of us actually want to hear the rest of the story first!" Joey pointed at Rebecca with one hand, and clenched the other one in a fist, pretty annoyed.

Yugi's grandfather put his hand up. "No, let the duel continue."

We all gave him confused looks, but didn't try to argue.

Yugi nodded, and continued the duel.

"He's going to play the Catapult Turtle…" I muttered, so that only the gang could hear. They all looked at me strangely.

"How would you know that?" Mr. Moto asked. The rest of the gang's faces showed they wanted to know too.

"… Faustus, as you call him recited the entire duel you and Professor Hawkins had to me. He had a photographic memory, so it was really easy for him to tell me how the entire duel went. And since the entire duel so far went exactly like he told me… I figured that it should go the same until the end." I flinched when I said 'had'. I hated referring him in past tense, because it always reminded me that he was… Gone.

But luckily nobody noticed me cringing.

"Hey, then can you tell us who won?" Joey asked.

"… No. You'll see." I smiled mischievously. "I'm not going to ruin the entire duel for you."

Then everyone turned their attention back to the duel.

Just as I remembered, Yugi played his Catapult Turtle. Then he used Brain Control, and took control of Rebecca's Millennium Shield. He used Catapult Turtle to blast her Millennium Shield into the air, destroying it. Then Yugi used his Summoned Skull to destroy Rebecca's Cannon Soldier. And Rebecca's Life Points dropped as a result.

**(Yugi LP: 1100 Rebecca LP: 200)**

"It's not fair!" Rebecca started to throw a temper tantrum. "I'm still going to beat you, Yugi!" When she calmed down, she glanced at her cards, then at her graveyard, as if trying to plan out something. Then when she drew a card, she smiled happily. "I play this magic card, Judgment Blaster!" Judgment Blaster allowed Rebecca to destroy all of Yugi's monsters on the field, if she discarded five cards. Rebecca smiled evilly, before playing her monster, Shadow Ghoul. "For each of my lame-o monsters in my graveyard, my Shadow Ghoul gets an extra 100 attack points!"

"I've lost count, how many monsters are in her graveyard?" Joey gulped.

"I think… It's eleven." Tristan replied.

"One hundred, two hundred, three-" Joey started counting with his fingers.

"Eleven hundred!" Tea had her arms crossed, and sighed.

"… Joey, there are kids that are like eight or nine that can do multiplication, and you're in high school…" I smiled slightly. "How did you get to be in high school anyway? I wouldn't think you were smart enough to qualify."

Joey just glared at me.

"Ok, prove me wrong then. What are Shadow Ghouls attack points now? You add 1600 to 1100…" I said slowly.

Joey tapped his chin thoughtfully, before beaming. "2700?"

"Yay, Joey can do math!" I clapped, and Joey looked proud. **(A/N: This is what I think of when I'm hyper… xDD)**

"Rebecca," Yugi sounded devastated. "You sacrificed all those monsters just so you could power up your Shadow Ghoul?"

"You just started to catching on? You have to think faster than that to beat me." Rebecca smiled smugly.

"Rebecca, you have to respect each one of your cards. Duel Monsters isn't about tossing away all your cards." Yugi sighed.

"Duel Monsters has nothing to do with respecting your monsters! Everyone knows it's only about winning! Anyway, Duel Monsters are just cards, what's there to respect?" Rebecca retorted.

_What's there to respect…? _I bit my lip. _… I know my cards stand for more than just cards… My first few were given to me by my real family, mostly from my brother, Ryan. Then, after that, I got a few more from Seto, Mokuba, and Lucifer… Then my last maybe five cards from my adoptive father… I would rather die than lose all of my cards. Each one was given to me when I was actually happy, and from the people that actually cared for me at the time. How does Rebecca not even care for her cards in the least?_

Yugi and Grandpa glanced at each other and nodded.

Yugi placed a monster in defense mode, an ended his turn.

Rebecca played the card, stop defense, and forced Yugi's Dark Magician into attack mode. Then Shadow Ghoul destroyed the Dark Magician, and Yugi's life points dropped.

**(Yugi LP: 800 Rebecca LP: 200)**

Yugi then played the Swords of Revealing Light, which stopped Rebecca for attacking for three turns, and gave him some time to think of a way to win.

Rebecca pouted slightly, but shrugged. "That's really irritating. In that case, I pass this turn."

Then Yugi used Monster Reborn, and revived his Dark Magician.

Rebecca just played another Cannon Soldier in defense mode.

Yugi bit his lip, knowing that if he attacked Cannon Soldier it would only raise the Shadow Ghouls attack points. But he couldn't let that Cannon Soldier stay on the field, so he attacked it with his Dark Magician. Shadow Ghoul's attack went up to 2800.

Rebecca just passed the turn, and smiled to herself. In one more turn, her Shadow Ghoul could attack, and win the match for her!

Yugi drew his next card, and stared at it for a while.

"What's the matter Yugi, did you get the card you need?" Rebecca taunted, but Yugi didn't respond, continuing to look at the card.

Yugi placed his card and hand onto his deck. "I surrender, Rebecca."

While everyone but me and Yugi's grandpa started freaking out, Rebecca smiled confidently. The holograms disappeared.

Rebecca skipped happily to the rest of us. "I won, now give me the Blue Eyes!"

I gulped. Knowing her, when she saw the ripped up card…

Yugi's grandfather sighed, and slowly pulled out the card that Rebecca was so eager to get.

She gasped in disbelief and horror as she saw what happened to it. "You tore it, oh no, you destroyed my grandfather's favorite card!"

The once powerful card was taped together with a piece of clear tape.

"It wasn't me, Rebecca-" he tried to convince her, but Rebecca was enraged.

"First you steal it, then you lie, then you ruin it! You despicable mean man, you won't get away with it!" Rebecca yelled.

_… How many times is she going to call him a liar, and tell him he won't get away with it…?_

"I treasured that card; I would have never destroyed it!" Yugi's grandfather said.

"Stop telling me lies!" Rebecca shouted, and was probably going to launch into another tantrum, when another voice I hadn't heard before started talking.

"Rebecca, behave yourself!" a kind looking old man walked into the room, a few feet taller than Yugi's grandfather.

"Grandpa?" Rebecca looked both surprised and happy.

"Arthur, is it really you?" Mr. Moto gasped.

"It's been a long time, Solomon." The man smiled.

"Far too long, my dear, old friend." Yugi's grandpa returned the smile.

"I hope do hope my granddaughter hasn't caused you too much trouble. Can you forgive her?" Professor Hawkins started walking to Yugi, who still remained at his side of the dueling platform. "Did you know that Yugi was actually the winner of the duel?"

"No, grandpa, I won!" Rebecca complained, and ran after her grandfather.

"Yugi, you're just like your grandfather. You're a nice man, and a very fine duelist." Mr. Hawkins picked up the top card from Yugi's deck and looked at it. "I knew it. Rebecca, have a look at this card." He showed Rebecca the card, and she gasped. "It's a card called Soul Release. If Yugi played this card, then you would have been defeated for certain! Soul Release would allow him to free five monsters from his or your graveyard. Then your Shadow Ghoul's attack would drop from 2800 to 2300. Yugi's Dark Magician had an attack power of 2500. And if he attack your Shadow Ghoul…"

"Then Yugi never had to surrender? Then why?" Rebecca was devastated that she was actually the loser of the duel, but at the same time confused why Yugi even surrendered in the first place.

"Yugi just wanted to show you that there's more to dueling that winning and losing. The way to the Heart of the Cards is through your own heart." Professor Hawkins explained. "When the tomb collapsed, Solomon also surrendered to save my life. I had become weak from the heat. And he sacrificed the victory to give me the remaining bit of water. What's more, is that even though I sacrificed many monsters to sacrifice my Shadow Ghoul, I honored each one that was sacrificed. Even more than the monsters, a duelist must always respect their opponent. And because I was so grateful, I gave Solomon my Blue Eyes."

"Yeah, and he showed his respect by tearing your card apart!" Rebecca said angrily, still mad at Mr. Moto.

Yugi's grandfather walked up to Professor Hawkins, holding the card, and looking ashamed. "It was damaged Arthur, forgive me."

"That doesn't matter, Solomon, all that matters is that you cherished it as our bond of friendship." Professor Hawkins smiled.

Rebecca turned to look at Yugi, looking sad. "Oh, Yugi, I'm sorry…"

"It's ok," Yugi smiled. "I forgive you, here take this card." Yugi handed Rebecca the Ties of Friendship card he got from Pegasus.

"The Ties of Friendship? Thank you, Yugi!" Rebecca smiled.

I couldn't help but smile. Hey, sometimes, you have to give a person a second chance.

Professor Hawkins turned towards me. "You're Roxanna, right?" I nodded. "Say, what happened to Faustus? I haven't heard from him in ages."

I was silent for a few seconds, and so was everyone else. The gang exchanged nervous glances. They all knew his fate. "… He passed away." I answered simply, and kept my voice surprisingly calm.

"Oh… He was so full of life…" Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Moto both looked mournful. Then Professor Hawkins tried to change the subject. "Hey, it's been ages since we've last dueled, Solomon!"

"Is that a challenge I hear, Arthur?" Mr. Moto smiled.

"Oh this I got to see, dueling grandpas!" Joey laughed, and even I managed a light smile.

"Yeah, I guess it'd be fun to watch... At least more interesting than watching you duel." I smiled, as Joey glared at me.

"Hey!"

We all rushed to the sidelines to watch, and I glanced up at the top of the roof, and saw a small outline of my adoptive father, smiling brightly at me. A tear slipped out of my eye, and I smiled. "… You're friends never forgot you, and neither will I."

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**… I hate writing sad parts, they're so… Sad! Anyway, next is the virtual world part, then the dungeon dice monsters! … I have these small little parts I have to add for each. *rubs hands together evilly* Then it's season 2! Yay! Hope you liked this part!**


	16. Chapter 15 Pink Rain

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 15- Pink Rain...**

_Yugi_

I lay slumped over my desk. It was a school day, and class was just about to start, with my least favorite subject. Just your average Monday. Yippee...

The teacher cleared his throat. "Today, we have a new student, now class, please welcome-" The door slid open, but nobody stepped in. Oddly enough, I heard a lot of chirping sounds coming from outside of the room. Birds don't usually fly into the building...? The teacher looked out the door and his face showed pure disbelief and shock. Then his face reddened with what looked like anger. "Is this some sort of stupid joke? Because, I'm telling you, this is not funny!"

"No sir, I assure you, I wasn't very happy this morning about this either. In fact, I'm extremely annoyed." A voice replied.

I couldn't see who it was, or what the person had done. The students who had seen the person either had their eyes bulging, their jaws dropped, started cracking up, or different combinations of the choices. _Wonder what's going on…?_

The person stepped into the room, and everyone just stared in astonishment. The girl glared at everyone, looking annoyed and menacing. "Yeah, go ahead and laugh if you want, but if you do, I'll give you the worst beating of your life." The girl's green eyes narrowed, and everyone stayed silent, probably scared for their lives. You could have probably heard a drop of water fall onto the ground at that moment.

The teacher broke the silence, and even his voice was shaky and not as confident as before. "Please, threatening is prohibited in this school!"

"Fine, I won't threaten them, I'll promise them that." The girl smirked, and turned towards the students. "Hi, I'm Roxanna Hylkio." She scowled, as a feather floated down onto her face. Roxy just brushed it away. "And I really don't want to answer about the birds." There were birds on her shoulders, a few on her head, and others all over her book bag. They were all twittering noisily. Kind of hard not to notice. "The second I stepped out of my house, they just all flew on me." Roxanna wasn't wearing the girl's uniform; she was wearing the guy's with the addition of her Millennium Hourglass.

"Can you please get the birds out of the classroom? Pets are not allowed in the school building." The teacher asked.

Roxanna shook her head. "Trust me, I tried everything I could to try to get them away. They just stay attached to me like magnets. Very, very annoying magnets."

"Then can you explain why you aren't wearing the girl's uniform? It's a requirement." The teacher crossed his arms. But that didn't even faze Roxy.

Roxanna just shrugged. "I hate skirts and dresses. Never wear them, ever. End of story." Before the teacher could respond, she walked to the empty desk all the way in the back that seemed to be nowhere near anybody else. She didn't even seem to have noticed me, or any of the others.

When she sat down, all the birds flew off of her, and out of the classroom, but one. "Oh, now you all leave?" Roxanna complained, then looked at the only bird that remained. The bird stayed perched on her shoulder. It was a black bird, with a mark of a crescent moon on one wing, and one bright red feather sticking up at the top of her head. Roxanna glowered at the bird, before smiling, and muttering. "So, I guess I have to give you a name, eh? How about… Phoenix?" The bird chirped happily, and Roxy smiled slightly. "Phoenix it is!"

The teacher glared at Roxanna. "Next time, enter the classroom with a lot less noise, please. But I'll excuse you, because it's your first time attending a school." That comment gave Roxanna a lot of stares from the other classmates. A lot of them started whispering and snickering.

But she ignored them all, and took out a pencil and a piece of paper. Then she looked up suddenly, looking really cheerful. "Please, if you're going to whisper about me, do it out loud so I can beat you up for it later." The class fell silent.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

Do you know who hard it is to concentrate with R talking to you the entire time and a bird resting on your shoulder? Not easy at all. For example, right now she's talking about…

'_Why are the school and city called Domino High and Domino City? Does that mean they stack schools next to each other, and flick one to let the others topple, and crumble into rubble? And do they put cities next to each other and topple one another? Uh... That sounds kind of hard. Hmm… So you destroy your own school and cities to destroy others…? You people are really weird and twisted.' R continued ranting on._

My eye twitched in annoyance. Yeah, very distracting, as you can tell. Not to mention my first time being at a real school. That didn't help at all.

It took all of my concentration not to start yelling out loud at her.

"Roxanna Lilith Hylkio!" I winced when the teacher said my full name. "Pay more attention, I asked you a question! If you continue on like this, I'll have to give you detention!"

"Yes, sir." I replied meekly. Phoenix glared in R's direction, and R started indulging herself in looking around the classroom, while I started doodling on my paper with boredom. Why did I even choose to attend school in the first place? Well, it's all R's fault…

_

* * *

_

Flashback

'_R, I told you, I don't want to go to school!' I pouted. _

'… _Well, you know your parents would want you to,' R smiled kindly. 'Anyway don't you think it's frustrating to only talk to me and the few customers you have each day? You need friends, or you'll start going mad and talking to yourself because of sheer loneliness.'_

_I frowned. Friends. Well, I guess Yugi and the others would count, but did I really want any other friends? Not really. But, it would be better than sitting behind the counter every day, waiting for customers. '...Fine. But only because I know my parents want me to. No other reason.'_

'_Whatever you say~' R said in a singsong voice._

'_Just don't bug me in school.' I joked, but quickly regretted it._

'… _I have too many things on my mind to do that.' R's expression darkened. '… See you later, ok?'_

_R faded away, back into the hourglass. I sometimes wonder what she spends so much time thinking about… Maybe her past?_

* * *

Yeah, right, you won't bother me. I looked back at R, who was sitting in an empty desk next to me, in spirit form. She leaned back, and stared up at the ceiling, looking like she was in deep thought. What could she be thinking about? When she caught me looking at her, she forced a small smile. '_You still haven't answered me about the whole Domino thing. Well?'_

I frowned, and turned away from her. This was going to be a long day. And as if to back me up, Phoenix let out a tiny solemn chirp.

* * *

After waiting to switch classes, everyone rushed to their lockers. I glanced at the little piece of paper with my locker combination and my entire schedule. I made my way to my locker, and gulped. If a person has never gone to a school, most likely, they've never had to use a locker before. Which was my problem. I'd never even got within two feet of a locker since… Forever.

Now, I stared at my locker, not knowing what to do at all. Do I turn it clockwise, or anti clockwise? Do I even turn it? I was starting to get myself really flustered, when someone tapped on my shoulder. I tensed, but relaxed when I heard who it was.

"Hey, Rox!" I heard a familiar voice behind me. To be exact a Brooklyn accent.

"Joey?" I smiled, as the blonde grinned foolishly. "I never knew you went to Domino High!"

He laughed. "Well, everyone knows you go here! You made a really big impression on the whole school, with the whole bird thing, and the uniform! Anyway, Yug and the rest of them all go to this school, too."

My smile faded when he mentioned the birds. I looked at Phoenix, who was taking a nap on my shoulder. _… This bird's going to cause a lot of trouble… I just know it. _"… Yeah, I had a real noisy entrance, huh? Joey… I need a favor. Can you teach me how to use a locker, please?"

Joey blinked, before smiling. "I thought the teacher was joking when he said that you never went to a school before… Guess he wasn't. And of course I will! What are friends for."

He explained to me, and after a few minutes and ten frustrating tries, I got my locker open successfully. "Thanks!" Then I glanced at the clock, and groaned. "The two of us are going to be late to our next class!" Just the kind of impression your teacher wants, eh? On the first day of school, bring a whole flock of birds, wear the wrong uniform, and then be late to all of your classes. Oh, the teachers are all going to love me.

Joey just shrugged. "I'm always late, I don' t think the teachers even notice anymore." Then he looked at my schedule, and started grinning. "You have the next class with me! So I won't be the only one late anymore!"

I raised an eyebrow. "… Joey, you need to learn to be on time."

He just laughed, and put one hand on my shoulder, leading me to our next class. "Anyway, you should sit with us at lunch."

I just shrugged. "I guess."

* * *

It turned out that I had a class with each of them, including Bakura and I was really grateful. After all, one of the main reasons I didn't want to come to school was because I was afraid I wouldn't know anybody. And now I won't be as lost around in the school… Unless it's Joey walking me around. The rest of the day sped by faster than I expected, and school ended.

The only bad thing was, it was pouring rain. I frowned as I watched the rain splatter onto the ground, making small puddles everywhere. Rain wasn't my favorite weather, and I forgot to bring an umbrella. Just great. While groups of students rushed out, I stayed inside the school, hoping the rain would stop. But it just kept on raining harder.

"Hey, Roxy!" Tea waved, and walked over to me. "Sucks that it's raining, huh? And I forgot my umbrella…"

"Yeah…" I sighed, and Phoenix flew out of the school, not afraid of getting soaked in the least. Soon she disappeared from sight. "Now you decide to fly away, huh, after you cause all that racket in school?"

"Hey guys!" Yugi ran over to us, as cheerful as ever. "How was your first day in Domino High, Roxy?"

"Hey." I frowned. Let's see… School = pure agony. What do you think? "… Not so well. I hate it."

Yugi smiled sympathetically. "It'll get better, trust me."

"Hey, what is everybody standing around for? Let's get out of school!" Tristan and Joey jumped out of nowhere, seeming to be especially hyper today. Maybe it was the cans of soda they had at lunch… Or the handfuls of candy that they stole from me? ... Probably the candy.

"Uh… I don't have an umbrella…" I said, but did the two listen? As usual… No.

"Aw, it's just a little drizzle, come on!" Tristan laughed.

"Yeah, what's the worst that could happen? Just getting drenched. Anyway, you're not that wimpy!" Joey insisted.

"Guys, it's not that, its-" But I never got to finish. Tristan and Joey pushed me out of the school doors, right out into the pouring rain.

But immediately, they regretted it. They gaped, when they saw me.

"… Yeah." I gritted my teeth. "When rain gets in my hair, it turns pink." Yeah, I think they could tell. My hair was bright pink now. Just lovely. "That's why I didn't want to get wet."

"…Oh." The two of them didn't know what to say. Maybe a sorry?

"Whatever, I'll just fix it later." I sighed, my clothes starting to get wet, and my hair already dripping with water.

"Hey, why don't we head to my house? It's nearby." Yugi suggested, and all of us nodded. The sooner I get dry, the better.

* * *

We all arrived at Yugi's house, or the Game Shop. And I leaned across the counter, exhausted.

"So how was school? I'm guessing it was your first day at Domino High, since you're wearing the uniform?" Yugi's grandpa smiled, and everyone gathered around the counter.

"… It was horrible, and yes, I'm going to Domino High." I sighed.

He started laughing, but then stopped. He started blinking in confusion. "Did you have pink hair the last time I saw you?"

I glared at Joey and Tristan, who started backing away from me. "… No. Joey and Tristan just had to mess it up… Didn't you guys?"

The two of them laughed nervously. "Ha, ha… We're sorry…"

I shrugged. "Ah, I guess it's ok. Just don't do it again."

The two of them looked relieved. Then Joey smiled. "Hey Gramps, you won't believe how Rox came into school!"

Then everyone started retelling all the weird things that happened in school today. Most of them having to do with me. Or Phoenix. Like in Biology, Phoenix decided that she was bored, and started attacking the teacher, who was screaming the entire time while most of the class either ducked under their desk for protection, or laughed. Ironically, the teacher was deathly afraid of birds, especially black ones. As you could probably guess, the teacher wasn't very happy about that. And in Math class, I had to answer a question on the board, and ended up breaking all the chalk in half… It was an accident! But the teacher didn't find it very amusing, and gave me extra homework. And in each class, something different happened. The teachers probably despise me by now… Oh, and lunch, that was the weirdest. I would look away from my food for a second, and look back to see something extra on my plate. Each time that happened, some student would scream something about an 'evil stealing bird'. So I ended up with a mound of food I couldn't eat. And I ended up feeding it all to Phoenix.

So to sum things up, I probably broke every rule the school had, and then some.

After the round of stories and many fits of laughter, Joey had picked a card he wanted to buy. "I'll take it, put it on my tab, Gramps!"

"Your tab's way past due, Joey." Yugi's grandpa shook his head.

"Then put it on Rox-" Joey glanced at me, and gulped. I was giving him a menacing glare, daring him to try. "I mean put it on Tristan's tab!" He corrected.

Tristan glared at Joey, and growled. "Hey!"

The bell rang, signaling that someone was opening the door. We all whirled around to see who it was. Our eyes all widened in shock.

Mokuba!

He was leaning against the door, soaked, and looking absolutely exhausted. "Please… Please help me."

I ran over to him, and helped him stand up. He could barely support himself, his legs wobbling. "Mokuba, what happened, are you ok?"

He looked at me, his eyes full of sorrow and worry. He looked like he was going to faint, but he managed to get out the words he wanted to say. "I'm fine. It's my brother, Seto. He's in big trouble!"

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Yay, another chapter done ^^. I just thought that Roxanna should go to school! xDDD Yeah… Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated! **


	17. Chapter 16 Cemeteries

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 16- Cemeteries**

_Roxanna_

By now my hair had finally dried and was its usual grey, but I didn't even notice until everyone pointed it out to me.

I didn't care. Right now Kaiba was in some sort of big trouble…

We sat in Yugi's living room, and Mokuba had a blanket wrapped around him and was holding a mug full of some sort steaming hot drink. But the drink lay untouched, as he explained the situation, the entire time he strained his voice to keep it normal. Mokuba was probably worried sick about his brother.

Apparently the 'Big 5', some of the board members from Kaiba Corp, had managed to trap Kaiba in his own virtual game because they reprogrammed the entire system just to do so. And the only way to save him was to beat the game. There were a few prototypes in one of Seto's laboratory's that we could use to play the game, and attempt to save him.

While the others listened patiently, I was pacing back and forth around the room, and rubbing my temples as I did so, growing even more anxious as each second passed by.

Why couldn't I catch a break? It was the first day of school (a messed up one, but a school day none the less), then my hair got messed up, now Kaiba's stuck in a virtual game he built himself and we need to save him. Not to mention that a flock of birds basically attacked me when I walked out of my bookshop. Just the kind of day an average person would love, huh?

Then when Mokuba finished, I paused and turned towards the others. "Anybody up for going into a virtual game to rescue Seto?"

Everyone gave me a strange look.

"Since when were you so eager to do anything?" Joey asked.

I shrugged. "Might as well get this out of the way… Enough bad things have happened to me as it is. I don't think it'll get any worse."

The others all agreed to help quickly, and Mokuba smiled gratefully at us. "Thanks guys! I'll lead the way."

Yugi's grandfather handed out umbrellas to everyone, but it ended up there wasn't enough for all of us. And the person who ended up not getting one was me. I glanced out the door, the rain pouring down as hard as ever. I bit my lip. Oh great.

"Hey, you want to use mine?" Tea asked, offering me hers.

I shook my head, but smiled gratefully. "Nah, I'm going to be fine." But in reality, I was dreading stepping back into the rain. I didn't want to look like a strawberry again.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." I was kind of tempted to take the umbrella, but I restrained.

Tea stepped out of the Game Shop along with the others while I fumbled to cover my hair the best I could with the spare jacket I had. "Thanks for helping out Mokuba for us, Mr. Moto… Er, Grandpa. Oh, and thanks for letting me stay for a while. I really appreciate it." Then I plunged out of the shop, into the dreary rain.

Yugi's grandpa shouted a 'be careful', as I ran to join the others.

The jacket wasn't really doing me any good, and it wasn't before long that both my hair and my jacket were soaked with rain. And my hair plus rain equals instant pink hair dye for me. And did I ever mention that my least favorite color was pink? And I was going into the virtual world to save Kaiba with my hair being pink. All hail the Pink Savior. Just the kind you always imagined to save you when you're in a tight spot, huh?

Mokuba lead us down a bunch of alleys, and streets before we reached two large metal gates that locked the way into Kaiba's laboratory, where Mokuba said the other prototypes were kept. He dropped his umbrella onto the floor, and climbed over the gates. It makes you wonder how many times that kid had snuck in. Then he opened the gates, and picked up his umbrella, before we ran into the building.

He then lead us through a few more hallways before stopping in front of a door. The door slid open, and he flipped the light switch. It revealed four pods in the middle of the room, and a control panel on the side, probably used to start the pods up.

Then it hit me. There were only four pods. There were six of us. Anybody who knew a little math could figure out that not all of us were going to be able to go.

Mokuba knew me better than anybody else, so he could tell what I was thinking. "I know I'm going. After all, I know the most about the virtual world we're going into."

"But aren't you the one who knows how to work these things? You should stay behind." Tristan pointed out.

"I'm not going to wait around, knowing that my brother's trapped in there! I'm going and that's that." Mokuba shouted defiantly. Nobody argued with him.

That left three more spaces left. "Well, I'm going." Yugi said.

"If my buddy's going, I'm coming too." Joey glanced at the rest of us, as if trying to see who would else would go.

"… I think I should go." I said, softly, but forcefully.

Mokuba gave me a worried look. "I don't think that such a good idea."

"Why not?" I demanded.

"Erm… The pink hair number one." I heard Tristan mutter, but ignored him.

"It's just… Not." The little kid averted his gaze from me. "… Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't, but I'm definitely going." I softened my glare. "You know if I decide on something, I won't change my mind easily."

He sighed in defeat. "Fine."

The four of us climbed into the pods, and slipped our dueling decks into the small slot in the arm rest. The pod door closed, and I felt the visor slide down onto my face.

Tristan, who stood behind the control panel, pulled the lever, and I shut my eyes.

When I opened them again, I found myself floating through some kind of black space, and blue lights sped by me. The feeling was weird, almost like a dream. It felt so real, yet I couldn't believe it. Then a bright flash of light blinded me, and I shut my eyes once more.

* * *

I blinked, and took a look around. I was surrounded by I misty sort of forest, and I looked at my arm to find one of Kaiba's dueling disks strapped around my arm with my deck inside. _Wonder if any of these things feel as real as they look. _I bent down to pick up a rock, and threw it into the air, before catching it. _Wow, Kaiba must have worked really hard on this program, everything feels so… Lifelike. _

"Roxy!" I heard a voice call, and saw the three others run up to me. They all seemed to have made it here ok. We walked down the trail together, and I noticed that Yugi looked a bit nervous.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"… It's just the life point count, I wonder what will happen to us if it runs out." Yugi laughed nervously, kind of a scary thought, huh?"

I was about to tell him my guess, when Mokuba spoke up. "Speaking of scary…" Then he looked at me, obviously concerned. "Don't look, Roxy."

He should know by now if he tells me not to do something, I would probably do it. I stopped, and as did the others, looking down the small cliff to see a cemetery, dotted with many tombstones. An eerie mist seemed to hover over the area.

I felt a shiver run down my spine, and felt myself grow woozy. I stumbled a bit, trying to regain my balance. _Graves. Dead. People. Cliffs. _I held my now throbbing head with a trembling hand. I could feel the blood draining from my face.

"You ok, Roxy?" Yugi gave me a worried look.

My breathing was starting to grow uneven. "I'm. Just. Peachy." I stopped in between each word to take a shaky breathe.

"No, you're not. What's the matter?" Joey asked.

"I told you not to come, and now you know why." Mokuba looked really worried now. "I was afraid this would happen." Then turning towards the others, he explained. "Roxy doesn't like cemeteries. She's not afraid of them, but every one she's visited, she passed out for some odd reason. And she's not really fond of cliffs either."

I propped myself against a tree for support. "And you didn't tell me there were cemeteries earlier because?"

"I did warn you, didn't I?" Mokuba shrugged, then reached into his pocket, pulling out a small black bandana. "Maybe this will help?"

I took it, and immediately tied it so that it covered my eyes, making me unable to see. Almost as if on command, I felt perfectly fine again, and all those symptoms just vanished. "Thanks Mokuba, now if I can just walk around without tripping…" I held my arms out in front of me and started walking around blindly. I felt a hand grab my wrist. "What?"

"If you walk any farther, you're going to fall down that cliff." Joey sighed. "You don't want to die already, do you?"

I laughed nervously. "No, I'm not suicidal, thank you very much… But I'm even blinder than bat right now." Then Joey's grip slackened, and I pushed his hand away.

"It's going to be fine. I'll guide you around until we're out of the graveyard, ok?" I felt another hand grab mine, and my face must have turned bright red. I hoped the bandana covered my face enough to hide the blush.

"Yugi, I can walk by myself, its fine." I stuttered. I could just imagine the look on Yugi's face, his eyebrows raised as if to say 'Sure you are, if you call being unable to see a thing alright.'

"Yeah, you're doing just great on your own. Who could have just could have fallen to their death a few moments ago? Just fine on your own, huh?" Joey scoffed.

The image of me falling down a cliff popped up in my head, and I felt tears pricking my eyes. I wasn't going to die like my family did, when they saved me. Luckily the bandana hid my tears. "… Don't push it, Joey. Or when I take this bandana off, you'll be the one blind."

"Eh, I could do without seeing. Anway, you wouldn't hurt me, cause I'm your buddy~, right?" Joey started to poke my arm repeatedly.

"… I said don't push it. And you know I'm unpredictable, I could hurt you anytime I wanted to." I smiled slightly. _I actually have friends now… Even if they are annoying ones. _"Stop poking me already."

"Yeah, Joey, we should get going, we have to go save Seto." Mokuba sounded even more worried, and I don't blame him. If I could save anybody in my family, I would do anything to.

"Alright…" Joey pouted.

We all set off down the small cliff, Yugi guiding me. Even though I couldn't see the graveyard, the picture was imprinted in my mind, and I felt another shiver run down my spine. I was hoping I never needed to visit another cemetery after I left the orphanage. Apparently luck was never on my side.

'_Just think of it this way, its virtual, so it isn't really a real cemetery.' R suggested._

'_Easy for you to say, you think about dominoes all day long.' I scoffed._

'… _No… I was just trying to help you keep your mind off of the cemetery. Sorry if I'm no help.' R frowned. 'And no, I don't think about dominoes all day long. But the name, it makes no sense whatsoever! Domino-' _

At that point, I just shut her out. I didn't need to hear the Domino speech again. I've heard it enough, three times a day.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Ah, well I finished another part! ^^' R loves to prove her point, doesn't she?**

**Anyway, on a more serious note, I need at least four reviews before I do the next chapter. Just four.**

**Why?**

**Because, I have at least two projects next week, with another five tests, and it's not going to improve my mood. I get really lazy when I get a lot of school work. It just gives me more reason to write if people actually comment. Thanks ^^**

**Another thing:**

**Eh hem. I need an answer. I've been dwelling on this for a while… But, should I actually bring Lucifer back? Next season, during Battle City? I definitely know he's coming later on, but I'm not so sure if he should be in the tournament… **


	18. Chapter 17 Brother and Friend

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 17- Brother and Friend**

_Narrator_

The cemetery was really ominous; a strange type of mist surrounded the area with it like a veil. All the tombstones were chipped and lopsided, as if really ancient. There were crosses sticking out of random spots too. The floor was uneven, made of rocks that look a little green, courtesy of the mist.

"… Please tell me we're out of the graveyard. Are we out of the graveyard yet?" Roxanna was walking around carefully, the bandana still acting as a blindfold, with Yugi leading her around. She sounded really nervous, as if something would jump at them in any second.

Joey sighed, it was about the tenth time she asked that question. "No! We're not! Gees, why are you so afraid of graveyards anyways?"

Roxy stiffened but kept walking. She looked a bit angered. No, more depressed than mad. "… I'm not afraid, I just feel sick knowing that it might be my family buried under one of the tombstones. Even if it is virtual, all I can picture is them under all of that dirt and stone…" Then she frowned and started muttering to herself. "Not that any of you could understand how much it hurts that I don't even know where my family's buried. I didn't even get the chance to tell them good-bye."

The others heard anyway, and gave her sympathetic looks. "Well… I'm sorry about that. It must hurt a lot knowing that you don't even know where your family is." Joey placed a reassuring hand on Roxy's shoulders. "But don't worry, we've got your backs! Nothing's gonna happen to you when we're looking after you, ok?"

Yugi nodded, trying to brighten up the mood. "Yeah, it's going to be ok." He held her hand tighter, trying to comfort her.

Roxanna was blushing, but nobody by Mokuba could tell. He knew her so well he didn't need to see her face to know how anxious she felt right now. But with her friends around, Roxanna clearly felt much more relaxed, even if it was in a cemetery.

"… Don't go make promises you can't keep." Roxanna muttered, but nobody heard her. "It'll end up hurting even more than before you made it."

"What did you say?" Joey asked.

"… Nothing." Roxanna muttered. "Nothing important."

Mokuba glanced at her, knowing she was keeping something to herself. But he kept quiet. It was better to let her think to herself when there was something that she would dwell on. After all, if he continued pressuring her, she'd probably just get even more frustrated.

In fact all of them could tell she was not in the best mood. None of them wanted to make things worse, so they just didn't say a thing.

* * *

After a while of silence, and walking further ahead in the cemetery, there was a strange sound of stone crumbling. Joey gulped, and turned his head slowly in that direction. A small spot on the ground started to crack, and three zombies jumped out of the ground. One was a clown, one was a samurai, and the last one was a dragon.

"Zombie Alert!" Joey yelled, catching everyone's attention… Well most of them. Roxanna was turning her head in random directions, wondering which was the enemy was.

But in the end, she turned to face the right way.

"These zombies are just duel monsters!" Joey realized. "So if I just draw a card…" Joey drew a card from his duel disk, and then stared at it blankly. "And I really don't know what to do…"

The rest of them had sweat drops on their heads, and sighed. The three monsters charged.

"Let me show you how it's done!" Mokuba sighed. "I summon the Rude Kaiser!" He held up his card dramatically as it shone with a bright white light.

"And I summon the Dark Magician!" Yugi held up his card as well.

"And I- uh… I summon whatever this card is!" Roxanna mumbled, pulling out the top card from her deck. She couldn't exactly tell what it was since she couldn't see it…

The three new monsters materialized and went to attack the zombies. The Rude Kaiser sliced through the zombie dragon. The clown was dispersed into mini particles when the Dark Magician used it's Black Magic Attack. The Legendary Ice Angel froze the zombie samurai, and then the statue broke into little ice shards before the entire thing melted. (Yeah, Roxanna summoned her favorite monster, what a coincidence.)

"Oh… So that's how you summon monsters in the virtual world…" Joey blinked.

Almost immediately though, the three zombies reassembled themselves, and their attack points rose higher.

"I got this one!" Joey raised up his card. "I summon the Flame Swordsman!"

The swordsman charged at the dragon, and slashed through its neck. But the neck just healed itself, and the dragon's attack grew higher. Then it spat out a dusty breathe of air, destroying Joey's monster. As a result, Joey's life points dropped to 1820.

"… Would someone mind filling me in on what's happening?" Roxanna gulped, not liking the constant sounds of exploding monsters. "Are we winning?"

"… Not exactly." Yugi shook his head.

"How can we beat these things if they just keep on coming back, even stronger?" Joey scratched his head.

"Well, Joey, these zombies have one major weakness." Yugi said slowly, trying to get Joey to think.

"Oh, they have zero defense points! So I'll just use my Shield and Sword card!" Joey grinned while holding up his card, and the monsters turned fuzzy and pixilated for a few seconds before looking back to normal. The only thing was its attack and defense points were swapped. So now all of their attack points were 0. "Their all yours, Yug!"

"Go Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi commanded, and his Dark Magician made the zombies shrivel into dust, finally destroying them.

The gang's monster's also disappeared, and they all cheered, finally winning. But it took a while for Roxy to register that they won.

"What are these?" Mokuba picked up a card, marked with a number 5 and coins on it.

"Erm… It would help if I could see what it was…" Roxanna muttered.

"Maybe some kind of scoring system?" Yugi offered, and also picked two up and handed one to Roxy.

Joey went to pick one up too, but groaned. "My life points aren't going back!"

"That's probably not a good thing…" Roxanna laughed nervously. "We'll just have to be more careful, or when our life points reach zero… I shudder to think what would happen."

Then everyone heard a whimpering and a sound of wind chimes tinkling in the wind. It came from a tiny fairy that was hiding behind a cross, looking scared.

Everyone walked towards the fairy. "What is that thing?" Mokuba asked.

"Maybe it's one of those fairies that they put in games help the players out!" Joey guessed.

The fairy flew off in a direction, a shiny trial of pixie dust/ glitter trailed behind it.

"Quick, let's follow it!" Joey said, and everyone ran off after the fairy… Er except Roxy. She was being half dragged, half walking, trying to keep up with the others.

The fairy lead them down a few paths, before it disappeared out of sight, not a trace of the shiny glitter it left behind anywhere.

* * *

"Oh, we lost it!" Joey panted.

"What do we do now, and are we out of the graveyard yet?" Roxanna asked.

"Well, yes but I wouldn't-" Mokuba didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, and Roxanna ripped the bandana off her face.

"Finally, I can see again!" She sighed, but then turned deathly pale. "Ah… I see why you told me I should have kept the bandana tied…"

In front of the four of them was a huge cliff, that showed a virtual town that looked like it belonged in the medieval times.

All of them gave Roxanna a worried look. "You ok?"

"… I don't think so." The dizziness returned, and Roxanna started wobbling on her feet, swaying back and forth. The cliff she saw started turning fuzzy, and the memory of her family falling down that cliff burned itself in her vision. She clutched her head, and tears threatened to spill out of her shut eyes. "Mom, Dad, Ryan, don't go!"

"Hey, Rox, it's ok, we're here for you." Joey placed his hand on her shoulder, but she kept muttering those words. "Rox, snap out of it!" He started to shake her, hoping to bring her out of this living nightmare she was having.

"Joey, don't, it'll only make things worse." Mokuba said grimly. "This happened once before."

"Then what do we do, just watch her suffer?" Joey demanded.

"Hold on," Mokuba walked over, and slowly took Roxanna's deck out of her duel disk.

"What are you doing?" Joey asked. "You think that her cards will help her?"

"… Yugi, here, take this card." Mokuba sifted through her deck, until finding the right card. "Just go up to her with it, and try to comfort her, act like an older brother would."

"Why me, why not Joey or you?" Yugi asked. "And why this specific card?"

"Because Joey's too impatient and I don't think I look like an older brother." Mokuba replied.

"Hey!"

"It's true." Mokuba shrugged. "But that card is the one her brother gave to her the day before he died. She loves it to death. She hasn't even used it to duel with, yet."

"… Fine, I'll give it a shot." Yugi walked over to Roxanna, and slowly brought her hands from her head down to her sides. "Roxy, it's ok, I'm here now." Then he held up the card Mokuba handed to him. "Remember this card? It's the Dark Ice Sorcerer. Who gave it to you?"

"… Ryan?" Roxy whispered, as if unsure. "… But he's gone. And he always will be. I'm all alone."

"No, he's not. He's always going to be remembered by you, he won't ever be gone. And even if he was, your friends are always here for you. Always. You never have to worry about being left alone again." Yugi squeezed her hand.

Roxanna fell silent, probably asleep, slightly leaning against Yugi for support.

"Is that a good sign?" Yugi asked. "Is she supposed to start sleeping?"

"That's what happened the last time. After she woke up, she forgot the whole incident happened though. But she ended up fine." Mokuba sighed.

"Hey, who was the one who helped her last time, though?" Joey inquired. "Was it you, or rich boy?"

Mokuba shook his head. "It was neither of us. It may surprise you, but the person who helped her recover last time was…" The young boy paused. "Lucifer."

The two other boy's had their eyes widened in shock.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not lying!" Mokuba laughed nervously. "The two were best friends before…" Mokuba then looked over at Roxanna. "Let's get down to the village before she wakes up and sees the cliff again. I sure don't want to go through the whole sequence again. Maybe we can even find clues about where Seto is."

"Hold on, shouldn't we give her back her deck first?" Joey took the cards from Mokuba and Yugi, before carefully placing the deck back into the duel disk. "Poor kid, how many times has she started freaking out like this?"

"… Well, with the cliff, that I know of, two. But she often has nightmares about some things." Mokuba smiled grimly. "But nobody ever asked her, because we were afraid that bringing it up would make things even worse. And she either tries to act all happy or really unfeeling to make people believe that she's fine."

Roxanna muttered something about 'crazy human attacking birds'.

"Yeah, we should probably get down to the village to search for some clues about Kaiba before she wakes up." Yugi positioned himself so that he was able to carry Roxanna on his back.

And with that, they all started walking down the steep cliff.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**I make Roxanna suffer so much it's sad… :'( I could update because I stole my sister's laptop! I'm so evil xDDD. **

**Reviews are appreciated! And I know you people who only subscribe or favorite my story, yet you don't review! Tsk, tsk, shame on you! You're too lazy to write one or two words xDDD. **

**-Cough, cough- Well, I just wanted to show you guys that Lucifer wasn't always the baka neko he is now. (Thank you xyugiohluvrx for the nickname xDDDD) Even if he might be that baka neko for the rest of his life. **

**Just warning you, after this season, there are going to be so many surprises… Just to keep you in suspense ^^. (And I update faster if you actually review… Proven for this chapter, thank you jeniashi, xyugiohluvrx, and xxpinkblinkxx for supporting me throughout the entire way I wrote… You guys are freaking awesome!)**


	19. Chapter 18 Playing the Other Role

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 18- Playing the Other Role**

_Roxanna_

I slowly opened my eyes, surprised and embarrassed to find Yugi giving me a piggy back ride and we seemed to be walking in a village.

"… Yugi, you can put me down now." I muttered, my face growing redder by the second.

"Oh, you're awake!" He sighed with relief. "We were all really worried about you."

After Yugi set me down, I raised one eyebrow, my face showing how really perplexed I was. "Why were you guys worried about me? It's not as if I was going to die, right?" I frowned, trying to remember what happened. I took of the bandana, and then… Then what? Everything was really unclear… "What happened?"

The three of them exchanged glances. There was a long and awkward silence.

"It was nothing, you just passed out. Probably from exhaustion." Joey finally said something.

Now I was really confused. I passed out? How? Then I pushed the thought out of my head. We had more important things to worry about. "Come on, I'll worry about that later, right now we should be focused on finding Seto."

* * *

We walked a bit further, then something caught Joey's eye. It was a stand that seemed to be selling virtual Duel Monsters cards.

"This might come in handy!" Joey smiled. "We'll take it!"

"Uh, I don't think that it works that way, Joey…" Mokuba motioned at a sign, that was marked 2000 coins.

"2000 coins?" Joey reached out of his pant pocket and pulled out the card with the coins we got from beating the zombie monsters. "Well we must have scored at least that much from those zombies… Only five coins? That's not even close!" Joey started fake crying, and I laughed nervously.

Mokuba sighed. "Let's concentrate on finding my brother first."

"Yeah Joey, we'll have all the time in the world to get Duel Monster's cards back at home." I patted his back. "If you really want to, I'll buy some for you."

"Really?" Joey perked up.

"… Maybe, only if you don't mope around anymore." I smiled.

"Yeah, let's split up and search for clues. When we're done, we'll meet back at the water fountain." Yugi nodded, and we all went separate ways.

Well, I kinda just stood there, not really sure where to go. Then I heard something that made my blood run cold.

* * *

"No, these are mine!" A voice shouted. "My family gave them to me!"

**(Author's Note: In this chapter, for flashbacks, I'm just going to make them italic. Trust me, it would be really frustrating if I kept on writing 'flashback'.)**

_"No, these are mine!" I yelled. "My family gave them to me!"_

I ran over to the noise, and was shocked to see a familiar scene.

A girl with bright yellow eyes and dark brown hair was gripping a bunch of cards tightly in her hand, and a crowd of boys surrounded her. The girl was maybe only eight, while the rest of them were at least ten. One even looked to be twelve, and the leader of the group. The girl looked scared yet determined.

The oldest looking boy sneered. "Just give us the cards, and we'll let you go."

_I stared back defiantly at the crowd of people. The oldest one smirked. "Just give us the cards, and we'll let you go."_

The girl shook her head, and clutched the cards even tighter. "No, my brother gave me his cards, their mine, not yours!"

_I shook my head, glaring at the boy. "No, my brother gave me his cards, their mine, not yours!"_

The boy just laughed. "And where's your brother now?"

_The boy laughed, looking at me with amusement. "And where's your brother now?"_

The girl immediately looked more nervous. "… He's gone."

_I bit my lip. "… He's gone."_

"That's what I thought. There's nobody to protect you. You're all alone. Now hand them over. Now." The boy demanded.

_"That's what I thought. There's nobody to protect you here. You're all alone, you have no friends at the orphanage yet. Now hand the card over to me. Now." The boy demanded._

That's when I knew I had to do something. I walked over and pushed my way through the group until I was standing in between the boy and the girl. I glared at the boy. "You better leave. Now. Before I have to hurt you." I made sure my voice had all the venom I could muster.

_I cowered under the boy's glare, almost ready to give in. Then I saw someone stand in front of me, another boy, his yellow eyes gleaming with anger. "You better leave her alone. Now. Before things get ugly."_

The boy looked a bit nervous, but wouldn't step down. "Or what, what can you do?"

_The leader started to tense, but relaxed. "Or what?" He sneered. "What are you going to do?"_

I threw my gem into the air, and caught it in my left hand. It started to stretch, until it was a full length staff. "Or I'll give you something to worry about."

_The yellow eyed boy clenched his fist, and socked the other boy in the face. "Or that." _

The boy was now terrified, and as was the rest of the crowd. They all fled the scene.

_The leader fell to the ground, and his eyes widened in shock. He scrambled away, and the rest of the people from the group ran off too._

The girl looked at me, half scared, half relieved. "You aren't going to take my cards, are you?"

I started laughing, but then stopped, to see the girl looking at me seriously. "No, no I'm not."

The girl brightened. "Thank you, so much! I'm Kai!" The girl held out her hand.

I hesitated before shaking hers. "Hi. Your welcome. My name's Roxanna."

_I looked up at the yellow eyed boy, unsure of him. Was he going to be like the rest of them? "… You aren't going to take my cards, right?"_

_The boy gave me an amused look. "Now why would I do that?"_

_I shrugged. "The other people did. So I wondered if you would." Then I paused. "Thanks for helping me out there."_

_The boy smiled brightly. "Your welcome. I just hate seeing the older kids treating younger kids like that. What's your name?"_

_"Roxanna Hylkio. What's yours?" I smiled back._

_The boy started ruffling my hair, and I frowned as my hair stuck up in messy clumps. "Lucifer."_

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Kai asked.

"Nah. You don't need to." I shrugged. "I'm just glad I could help."

"You're searching for someone, aren't you?" Kai said suddenly, and I gave her a shocked look.

"How would you know?" I said incredulously.

The girl smiled slyly at me. "I know because you have that look in your eye. The same one I have every day. I know that my brother went traveling out beyond." Kai motioned towards the desert. "And he hasn't come back. But I hope he's still out there. No, I** know** he's still out there. One day, I'm going to go find him, and bring him back home. And we're going to be family again." The girl was so determined, I didn't have the heart to tell her that her brother was probably gone for good.

Instead, I forced a small smile. "Really? I hope you manage to find your brother. And yeah, I'm searching for a lost friend… Have you seen him? He's really tall, has brown hair, cold blue eyes, and a huge ego. He also dresses… Uh, a little differently from most of the people in the village." Most of the people looked like the belonged in the medieval times. Which was probably the time period this game was set in.

Kai's face turned even brighter. "Yeah! I saw him! He was that prisoner being lead towards that mountain over there." Kai pointed at a huge peak that was across the desert. "But you'll have to cross that desert to get there… Good luck with that, Roxy."

I gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, you definitely repaid me, more than I needed."

"No, thank you! These cards mean everything to me." Kai laughed. "I would have never lived with myself if I let them get stolen."

"Well, thanks again. And don't worry. I don't think those boys will be bothering you for a long time. And you helped me more that I can ever repay you." I winked, and started to walk in the direction of the water fountain, thoughts of the first day I met Lucifer fresh in my mind.

_

* * *

_

"So why didn't you just hand those cards over to those bullies? It would have saved you a lot of pain." Lucifer asked, as the two of us were swinging on the swings. "And getting me involved."

_"… Those cards are everything to me." I sighed, and swung myself into the air. "My brother and family gave them to me. And well… They're gone. Our car drove down a cliff."_

_When I said 'Our car drove down a cliff' Lucifer flinched slightly, but when I blinked, he looked just fine. Maybe it was a trick of light. _

_Lucifer gave me a sympathetic look. "I know how important family is…" Then he forced a smile. "I'm just wondering… Would you do anything if you could have saved your family? I mean, anything in the world."_

_"Hmm… Probably." I shrugged. "Not anything, but almost anything. I probably wouldn't kill random people or kill a friend or… Well, you get the idea, right?" Then I smiled. "I still haven't repaid you for helping me. Is there anything I can do to help you?"_

_Lucifer's smile faltered. "That's nice of you to offer, but there's nothing you can do to help me, I'm perfectly fine. It's just my-" He couldn't continue, and made his feet connect with the ground, stopping him from swinging._

_"You're what?" I did the same, stopped swinging._

_He shook his head. "It's nothing. You don't need to worry about it." Then he muttered something to himself, probably hoping I wouldn't hear. But I caught a word. "- crystal."_

_"What, you want a crystal?" I blurted, and blushed. Great, now I was an eavesdropper._

_He looked surprised, but not at all mad. "No, I don't want a crystal… Like I said, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."_

_"You sure?" I asked. "I'm sure I could help you."_

_I could have sworn I saw him start to tear up, but when he looked at me, there weren't ant tears. He just looked mad. "I told you, it's fine!" I cringed, and he looked shocked. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to lash out to you like that… It's just nobody can help me with this, and I'm so frustrated."_

_I walked over to him, and patted his back sympathetically. "There's a lot of things that nobody can help you with… But you're not alone. I'll be there for you, just like you were there for me today."_

_He smiled gratefully. "Thanks." Then he stood up, looking more confident than ever. "You just gave me the confidence boost I've needed for a lifetime… By the way, do you like the color green?"_

_I shook my head. "Not really."_

_He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a box. "Here. I don't either. These are just colored contacts. You know, since you're eyes are green…"_

_I smiled, and took the box. "Thanks. For helping me with those bullies and the giving me the contacts."_

_"No thank you. You just gave me all the inspiration I need to get that 'crystal'." He did air quotes when he said crystal, to show that it wasn't really what he wanted. "That inspiration is something I can never repay you for."_

_"Really?" I smiled even brighter. "I don't think I could ever repay you!" And I tackled him in a hug. He just laughed, and started ruffling my hair, just like Ryan did. _

_But his mind seemed to be on something else, and I thought I heard him mutter 'crystal' again._

_But it could have just been me. _

* * *

And he never did tell me what he really needed help with.

Whatever that 'crystal' really was.

And I never thought about bringing it up.

And he never spoke that word again.

Except the day of the tournament. The day he killed my adoptive father, Professor Faustus Night. The day everything changed.

He said that word before the final match against me and him. And I never got the chance to ask him about it.

And for the first time in years, I felt myself start to wonder. Lucifer never brought up his family after that day.

Why was he in the orphanage? What exactly happened to his family?

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Yeah, more on Roxanna and Lucifer's past, how they met, blah, blah... Still hate his guts, well, a little. I know something that you don't! -evil smile- Yay, I managed to update faster ^^ I had a lot of inspiration. Thank you if you read my story. Thank you more if you favorited. And thank you extra if you reviewed! I appreciate the reviews, and tell me how I'm doing... If it's too fast paced, a little too slow, ect. Ha ha, you can guess what the 'crystal' was, but I'll keep you in suspense for a few more seasons! I'm so evil xDDD**


	20. Chapter 19 Restart with a New Tactic

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 19- Restart with a New Tactic**

_Roxanna_

"Guys!" I panted. "I found some clues!" I reached the fountain, out of breath. "Sorry I took so long. I got a bit caught up."

"Well, what did you find out?" Mokuba asked, looking hopeful. As if I had the most valuable thing in the world, and were about to give it to him.

_Way to go, Roxy… You got his hopes up. What if Kai was wrong? Then he would be really disappointed. Shouldn't have told him that first… _But what said cannot be taken back…

Sighing, I continued talking. "They took Seto, across the desert, to that mountain." I pointed at the peak.

"Well, that helps! I found out from an old woman that he was taken to some sort of temple. It's probably out there!" Mokuba smiled.

I looked left, then right. Yugi and Mokuba were both here, but the usual loud blonde boy wasn't. "Where's Joey?"

"Over here…" I heard him grumble. "I decided I hate virtual dogs." Then I turned around, and burst out laughing. Joey had a dog biting his leg, and it didn't look like either of them was very happy about that.

"Oh, ha ha! Oh, I can't breathe!" I wiped a tear out of my eye. "I'm guessing dogs aren't particularly fond of you."

Joey glared at me, and shook the dog off. "Not funny, Rox."

"No, it's hilarious." And before I could get in another fit of laughter, I put on a serious face. "Seto's was lead up that mountain, into a sort of temple. And from what I heard, we have to cross this desert to get there."

"And so, how are we going to get there?" Joey asked. "You mean, we're going to cross that long desert on land?"

"I was thinking we could-" I was interrupted.

"I'm coming big brother!" Mokuba ran off into the desert.

"Oh boy." I sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if Mokuba and Kaiba are really related. Then other times I wonder if the little kid got some of his stubborn attitude from his older brother. And his habit of running into things before thinking too much."

"Mokuba, wait for us!" And the three of us ran to catch up with the kid.

* * *

The strong wind blew against us, spraying sand in our faces as we trudged forward, slowly. While Mokuba had a bandana to block the sand from getting in his mouth, the rest of us had to use our arms.

"I have to hand it to your brother," Joey looked disgusted. "This virtual sand tastes just like real sand."

"And you would know, too," I couldn't help but smile. I never miss a chance to tease Joey. "You ate sand before?"

"No, I only got a bit of sand in my mouth when I tripped at the beach." Joey glared at me. "You've never accidentally got sand in your mouth before?"

"Nope. Never gone to a desert or a beach before... Ever." My smile faded, and I averted my gaze to the probably more than trillions of grains of sand on the floor. My parents were supposed to take me and Ryan to the beach a few days after moving to Domino. But of course our plans were canceled after the crash.

"Huh, so you've never actually felt sand before?" Joey looked surprised, and I nodded. "Well, this virtual sand is exactly like real sand," Then he spat some out. "Trust me."

I shrugged. "Guess I have to take your word for it." Then a smiled again. "So I won't be eating the sand anytime soon." Then he gave me another glare.

"Guys, maybe we should turn back, we're not getting anywhere." Yugi suggested. "This way, we'll never find Kaiba, and we'll probably get lost in here."

Mokuba shook his head, looking stubborn. "No, we have to keep going!" Yes, he was very stubborn. Like brother, like brother. **(Author Note: xD Like father, like son… Like brother, like brother…)**

Then we all stopped. A huge cyclone of sand and air was just a few feet away from us. It looked really menacing, creating mini sand dunes when it blew the sand in random directions.

"It's a sand twister!" Joey gulped.

"What gave you that idea, Einstein?" I scoffed. "Course it's a sand twister, anybody could tell that!"

Joey glared at me. "I was only trying to-"

"Um, I hate to interrupt your argument, but it's heading our way." Yugi sounded nervous.

The two of us glanced up, if only to stop bickering for a few seconds, and sure enough, the twister was moving towards us. All of us only had time to get in a position, hoping that the impact wouldn't hurt as much as we guessed it would.

I remember the winds blowing my hair around, and the feeling of being yanked off the ground. Before I shut my eyes, I saw a light glow. Then I blacked out.

_

* * *

_

R

"Ouch... When Roxanna needs me, why is it always so painful?" I muttered, rubbing my sore back, as I stood up. "Well, I guess that's the price I have to pay for her helping me. I have to be her 'protector'. Not that she needs much protection. With her violence and personality... What kind of girl her age has weapons at their disposal anytime they want, anyway? ... I really don't want to know. Don't need another Roxy in the world..." I shivered at the thought. "One's too many already, in my opinion."

I took a look around, and found that we were back at the village. The others lied unconscious on the ground. The twister seemed to be some sort of obstacle that returned you here so basically you were restarting. There has to be some way of getting across the desert though… You probably needed something important. But what could it be? A sort of key? Probably not. Maybe a sort of transportation...? Maybe… Then I shook my head. When was I ever good at any kind of game? Why was I so nervous right now?

It was as if I was afraid to make any sort of decision. A little warning bell went off in my head, as if to say, 'Don't mess up, or something bad will happen. Real bad. So no pressure, ok?' That same warning appeared every time I played any sort of game, and this included Duel Monsters. But I would usually dismiss it. Now the feeling was stronger than ever, as if the entire world's pressure were on my shoulders. It was so overwhelming; I refused to make any sort of action until I was sure it was safe. Couldn't risk making the wrong move.

_Or I might actually fulfill that prophecy earlier than we expected, can't let them worry about me again..._ Wait what? What prophecy? The word seemed to easily pop into my head, but when I tried to remember anything, it was as if that memory was out of my reach. I'd feel it slowly come up, but then it would just disappear, farther into my mind. And who were 'we' or 'them'? I groaned. My memories would always be like that. They would sometimes give tiny hints, and leave me hanging, never telling me everything I wanted to know. Those slippery little devils... **(Author's Notes: Sound a bit like my cliffhangers? xD)**

And lately, it's been happening even more. I keep seeing one thing, over and over again... The word: Prophecy. And these strange images of deserts. Deserts...

I've been pondering about it so much lately, these constant memory pieces. I think even Roxanna noticed me constantly gazing off into space, deep in thought. Then I shook my head, pushing those thoughts into the back of my head. '_I have just one mission right now, and it's to save Kaiba. After that, I'll go worry 'bout it later. Got plenty of time in my Hourglass to think and worry. Probably too much time for my own good.'_

Then I heard someone stirring, and saw the others start to gain consciousness.

I patiently waited for each of them to get up, and then sighed. "I don't think I want to try to cross that desert again like that, do you?"

Mokuba looked crestfallen. "But what about Seto?" Then looking even more determined, he shouted. "We have to try again! I can't give up!"

"That's not the way to cross this desert!" I heard soft laughter, sounding like it was coming from an old man. "You'll just end up back here, or stuck in that desert for eternity."

The three of us whirled around, and saw an old man. He had a very long beard, most of his hair white with a few grey ones. He had a cane in one hand, and had a light smile on his face. His eyes glittered with knowledge and amusement.

"Wait," I faced the old man. "Do you know how to get across the desert, Mister?"

"I don't know…" The man's smile never left his face. It might have even gotten wider. "It's those Niwotori birds that know how to."

I blinked. Niwo-What? "Um, a Niwo What?"

Joey seemed to think, before smiling. "Niwotori… Oh, that Duel Monster's card!" Joey realized. "Now all we need to do is get that card, and we can cross the desert!"

"It's a Duel Monster's card?" I asked dumbly. Then I slapped my hand onto my forehead. "Ohhhhhh. That card."

"Took you long enough to remember." Joey scoffed.

I glared back at him. "Haha, you're _soo_ funny." I said sarcastically. "And what about that time on Duelist Kingdom, when you…"

Mokuba sighed, and Yugi completely ignored our bickering. "Excuse me," Yugi said. "Do you know where we can get that card?"

"That card can't be found." The man's smiled broadened, looking even more amused than before, if it was possible. "It can only be won. It's a prized bird."

At that point, all of us were confused, and me and Joey forgot about fighting. Uh… Won?

"Um, do you mind expanding on, what you mean by won and prized?" I scratched my head. "Like a prize you win in an arcade or a carnival? You know, with the games, and the…" **(Author Note: … xD An arcade or a carnival! Don't ask, I was hyper…) **The three others put a hand on their forehead, and sighed. I glared at them. Hey, I was just wondering was all!

The old man regarded me with a curious expression, with one eyebrow raised and a small smile. "No… I don't know. I have no idea what an arcade or a carnival is. But I don't think you win it in one of those... Is it some strange word for a game or something?"

I anime fell. I kept forgetting these people were in the medieval times. No arcades or carnivals during this time period. That must have sucked… What fun did these people enjoy? "Never mind…" I got up, and dusted myself off. "Thanks for the information, though, Mister."

He gave us one last look, this time his eyes glistening with mischief. It looked like he was waiting for something interesting to start, and we were going to start it. "Best of luck on your search, young ones." Then he hobbled off with his cane, leaving us alone. But I could have sworn I heard him mutter, 'That strange girl and her strange foreign words…' That didn't leave me in the best of moods.

"Well, maybe we should check those Duel Monster stands…" Mokuba suggested. "One of them must have the card!"

We all nodded, but my head barely bobbed. … I'm not a strange girl! Well… I think. At least most of the time I'm not!

"That's a start…" I mumbled, and the four of us ran off into separate parts of the town.

* * *

All of us were panting, gathered by the water fountain. And all of us were out of breathe.

"I'm. So. Tired." I panted. I ran around the entire city, asking all the merchants. And no freaking Niwatori card. Why can't it be that easy to find? Well, it wouldn't be like Kaiba if the game were that easy… "And. Still. No. Niwatori. Card."

"You can talk normally you know?" Joey sighed, sounding annoyed. "It gets irritating after a while."

"Sorry, I'm just so tired! And thirsty! My throat's killing me. " I complained. "Mokuba, can you die of hydration in a video game?"

"… I don't think so." _That's reassuring… _The little boy didn't even look at me. He was too disappointed. "Now we'll never find Seto if we can't find that card."

"Hey, little buddy!" I wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, the card has got to be in this town, that's how games work. There's always something that helps you get the thing you need to pass a level. We'll find that card, and find your brother, ok?"

"Thanks… But what if it's not in this town? There could be endless places where it could be!" Mokuba sighed.

"Nah, trust me, it has to be in this town." But it sounded more like I was reassuring myself. "The man said it was prized, and you could win it, right, Yugi?"

"Prized…" Yugi muttered, and then stood up. "That's it!" He ran over to a sign. "That's what the old man meant!"

"Um, what?" The three of us blinked, not understanding.

"Come over here!" Yugi smiled, as the three of us walked over to look at the poster on the sign. "It's an announcement for a contest being held in the Coliseum! And guess what the prize is for beating the champion!"

"A bottle of water?" I asked, and the others sighed. "Joking, but really, my throat's killing me… I know!" I pointed at the picture of a lazy, fat looking chicken on a Duel Monster's card. "A Niwatori card! Our ticket to crossing the desert!"

"So what are we waiting for, let's sign up!" Joey punched his fist into the air.

And the three of them started to run off to the Coliseum, but I hesitated. There was one major problem right now.

"Wait, what's the contest about?" I yelled, running after them. "Do you guys even know what we're supposed to do to win?"

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! I'm done! Ok, next chapter will be… A bit weird, just a heads up. Well, weird in a weird way… Never mind! Yes, I did replace the creepy, crazy, laughing old man on the rocker with an old man with a cane. And we haven't seen R in a while, so might as well bring her back! Reviews are appreciated ^^ **


	21. Chapter 20 Trapped and Slapped

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 20- Trapped and Slapped**

_R_

We reached a building that looked a lot like one of those Roman coliseums, where the competition would take place. The pillars held up the stone walls, keeping them intact. I wonder what would happen if one pillar broke… Um, not such a good idea…

After going into the entrance, we saw a fat toad like goblin sat on a chair, wearing sandals and some sort of robe-like outfit, with a sword sheathed on his belt. Apparently he was the administrator of the tournament, and he (or it? I really don't know) could speak and understand English. I was so relieved. Imagine having to croak so it could understand you… That would be pretty awkward. Correction, **extremely** awkward! And I don't think any of us knew how to speak frog.

"Um, we would like to enter in the competition please, err… Mister." I said, trying not to make it look like I was staring at the creature. Flies flied around him, making it harder.

The creature looked at us with disbelief. "Do you really think that one of you can beat our champion?" Then it eyed one of the flies hungrly, and a long tongue like one of a frog's came out of its mouth. The tongue caught the fly, and returned back to the creature's mouth. The host swallowed loudly. "I mean, do you have the skill to?"

The rest of us made faces. I tried not to throw up on the spot. Yes, that creature was definitely part toad. I just didn't want to learn that by watching him eat flies.

Yugi managed to look the most expressionless, and tried to persuade the host. "Please, we need that Niwatori card. At least give us a chance to prove to you that we can win."

The creature sighed, and put his hand on his chin, thinking thoughtfully. A long pause filled the air. We waited impatiently for his response and all of our breathes were held in anticipation. Would he agree? What would we do if we weren't allowed to enter the competition? It was pretty obvious there were no other Niwatori cards in the entire town.

In the end he shrugged. "Well, why not? I'm not the one taking the risk… So I guess you can have a shot at it."

"Yes!" We all cheered, finally relieved. It may have been a small success, but if one of us managed to win and get that Niwatori card… We'd be even closer to saving Kaiba!

The creature turned around, and dug through a pile of stuff, before pulling out a cape and mask… A pig mask. Just the type of mask any hero would want to wear, eh? He handed the stuff to Yugi. "This is your battle mask and combat cape. The person who's going to battle is going to need to wear it." Then he walked out of the room.

"Ok… Only one of us is going to wear the stuff and participate…" I muttered. "Even though I don't want to look like a pig, I'll go."

Joey shook his hand, and took the costume from Yugi. "Nope, I'm going." And his face showed that he wasn't going to change his mind. But that didn't stop me from trying to.

"Hey, Joey, you already have the least life points out of all of us!" I argued. "You'll be at a disadvantage! Let me go instead."

Joey shook his head, again, but this time, his face broke into a dumb grin. "I'm not going to let the little strawberry head be the hero today. Do you want to humiliate yourself even more? Besides, you're much shorter than me."

My face turned red from embarrassment and anger. I almost forgot about my pink hair. And did he just insult my height? "Hey, stop making fun of my hair, and my height! Gees, being shorter than you proves nothing… And I don't make fun of your stupidity!"

"You only do it like, five times a day." Joey scoffed. "And besides, being taller has its perks. I can look down at you, which makes you seem a lot less intimidating… No offense, Yug."

I pouted. "So you mean offend me but not Yugi? You're so mean."

"Complain all you want, short strawberry head." Joey laughed, and ruffled my hair. "But I'm going and that's that."

I growled, and my bright pink hair stuck up in messy clumps. Then I started smiling. "Fine, you can go and enter that tournament…" At this, Joey smiled triumphantly. Then I muttered the last bit to myself. "As a pig."

Mokuba must have heard, because he started snickering, but immediately stopped when Joey gave him a weird look. He straightened up, and said, "We'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, just don't mess up."

My face broke out into a wide grin. "Joey," He looked at me, and I saluted him. Then I gave him a tiny wink. "Sergeant Little Strawberry Head salutes you, wishing you the best of luck in your battle!"

Joey started smiling, but forced his smile into a straight line. "I won't let you down, Sergeant LSH!" Then he returned my gesture with a salute of his own.

Mokuba and Yugi had sweat drops, laughing nervously. … Yeah, the two of us must have sounded really stupid.

I smiled. "You better not!" Then I looked back at Yugi and Mokuba. "Let's go, before I start some other weird conversation."

The two of them nodded rapidly, and walked out of the room. Then I glanced at Joey one more time. He tried to throw the cape over his shoulders dramatically, as if to impress someone, but failed. It just floated onto the ground, in a messy heap. I couldn't help but laugh.

Joey glared at me as he went to pick up the cape, but then his eyes narrowed… In suspicion? Or was it confusion and worry? "Hey, Rox, do your eyes always change color? Sometimes they're green, and sometimes they're blue, like right now. Are you feeling alright?"

I laughed nervously. Right… Never got to explaining to everyone about me… And I'm guessing Roxanna never did either. But I have my suspicions that Yugi knows about me. "Er… I haven't ever noticed… Maybe you're turning color blind?" Before he could say anything else, I ran out of the room. I didn't want to have to explain things to him now. Not with all the things on my mind.

* * *

I met up with Yugi and Mokuba, sitting in the ring of seats around the center stage where the competitors would battle. I felt a little uncomfortable, because other than me, there were no other girls. The entire place was packed with a bunch of guys… Which all of them were shouting positive comments about their champion at the top of their lungs, shaking their fists or standing up as they did so. I was surprised my eardrums didn't burst.

Then I spotted two people I seemed to recognize. One was the old man who told us about the Niwatori card, and he was sitting all the way at the top, while we were sitting at the bottom. He saw us, and his eyes twinkled with his familiar amusement. So he knew that one of us was going to participate in the match! That sly old man…

Then it was Kai, that girl that Roxy helped out… So I wasn't the only girl! Kai sat near the box where the host (aka the toad dude) was at. But she wore a sort of cloak, hiding most of her hair. I almost didn't recognize her. She caught my eye, and smiled slightly, winking as if to signal something. Not knowing what to do, I smiled back. I wonder what that little girl was here for…

"We have at last found a soul brave enough to challenge our champion!" The toad dude stood up, putting his hands in the air as most of the crowd was cheering even louder than before, if it was possible. "I present to you Senor Porky!"

As you might guess, I wasn't happy to hear my buddy being called a 'Porky'… Oh, if I had a knife right now, it would go straight through that toad's heart. No, I would want to drag his misery on for as long as possible… Wait. I am sounding a bit too much like what Roxanna would want to do if it was Lucifer insulting Joey… Never mind, she'd be even more violent.

Joey walked out of one side of the arena, with his green cape on, and the pig mask over his face.

The crowd started to jeer and boo at him, except for Kai and the old man. They seemed to be rather neutral in who they would prefer to win. I glared at all the people close enough to me, and their insults died in their throats. I can look rather menacing when I want to.

"Go Joey!" I cupped my hands around my mouth, projecting my voice louder. People gave me weird looks, but I ignored them. Then I smiled, making my voice sound sweet and innocent. "And anyone that starts taunting him again will regret doing it for the rest of their life."

At that, most of the booing died down, though I did hear one or two whispers. But good enough for me.

People should know better than to insult my friends.

Mokuba and Yugi continued to cheer Joey on. I threw in one or two encouraging words.

The toad dude cleared his throat, and continued speaking. "And on the other side of the arena, is our champion, Madame Butterfly!"

Now almost the entire crowd was cheering, stamping their feet, waving their hands, shouting like maniacs, and the sound was deafening.

The champion was a girl? This was going to be interesting…

Roxanna folded her arms, in her spirit form next to me. _'Can I… Um… You know.'_

'_Sure…'_ _I muttered. _I can't enjoy a decent time outside the hourglass… It always has to be painful at one point or another… But I guess I needed more time to think in there. I fumbled with the hourglass, and it started glowing with its usual gold glow.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

I blinked, and looked to the other side of the arena. Four masked men carried a throne. A blonde girl wearing a butterfly mask on her face, and a red cape over her shoulders, sat there with her legs and arms crossed, looking smug and confident.

… _Why does this girl seem so familiar? That hairstyle… I've seen it before! But where? _I couldn't quite put my finger on it…

"So someone finally decided to challenge me?" The girl jumped off the throne, and stood gracefully on her feet. "But too bad you're going to lose faster than you think."

Joey growled, "You can insult me all you want, but you're the one who's going to lose!" Then he drew a card from his deck, and held it up in the air. "Flame Swordsman!"

The card started to radiate with a bright white light, and his monster materialized onto the field. The swordsman grunted, holding his sword in front of him, poised for an attack at any moment.

The champion's smug smile remained on her face. "Hmm, not a bad move." Then she drew a card, and raised it into the air. "But this card will bring you down! Harpy Lady!"

The card emitted a bright glow, and her monster appeared in front of the champion. The Harpy Lady looked just as confident as her owner, with the same smug smile plastered to their faces.

_Harpy Lady… I know I've seen that card before! But I can't remember where… Curse my short term memory! _I mentally kicked myself. I never remembered anything useful these days.

"Hmph, my Swordsman is powerful enough to beat your monster easily!" Joey smirked. "Now, Flame Swordsman, attack her Harpy Lady!"

The swordsman raised his sword over his head obediently. Then he charged, ready to destroy the opponent's monster. But before the swordsman could slice the Harpy Lady, Madame Butterfly pulled out a card from her deck.

"I use the trap card, Mirror Wall!" The card glowed, and a wall of mirror appeared around the Harpy Lady in a dome. The swordsman's sword came in contact with the wall. He was flung back to Joey's side of the field, and while his attack power was halved, the Harpy Lady remained unharmed.

That strategy, I saw it before, I'm sure of it… Then it hit me. The Madame Butterfly was…!

Yugi's eyes widened, probably coming to the same conclusion as I did.

Madame Butterfly smirked, and drew another card. "This is the end for you, pig- boy! Now I power up my Harpy Lady with the card, Rose Whip!" I had no doubt now. Only one person would do that combo. The most important question was: What was she here for? "Now, attack his monster!"

The Harpy Lady raised the whip, and it went flying towards Joey's swordsman.

"Wait!" Joey removed his mask quickly.

Madame Butterfly gasped, and ordered for the attack to stop. Just in time too, or it would have destroyed Joey's monster.

"Joey?" The girl asked, sounding shocked. Then she slowly removed her mask as well, to reveal a familiar looking face. "Is that really you?"

"Mai!" Yugi and I jumped over the seats, onto the arena. Mokuba followed behind us.

Mai blinked in disbelief. "Yugi, Mokuba, Roxy, what are you guys doing here?"

"Well, why are you in the game?" I asked. "It's really dangerous in here."

"I was testing this game for some suits at Kaiba Corp." Mai shrugged, not looking the least bit concerned that her life might be at risk. "So what about you?"

"Those suits kidnapped my big brother." Mokuba sighed, sounding hopeless. And that's how things were right now. We're not even close to even crossing that desert without that Niwatori card. Besides, Mokuba and Kaiba were just reunited maybe a few days ago, and now they were forced to separate once again. That must have hurt.

"He's trapped in a temple across the desert." I explained. "But we need to get a Niwatori card to get across."

"That's the prize card for this match!" Mai realized.

Before we could reply, the crowd started booing and complaining. Oops, almost forgot that they were here… And they were demanding we continue the fight… They wanted to get a winner out of the match. But we didn't have time to finish the duel! Kaiba was already in enough trouble, we can't risk wasting more time.

"Hey, what the-?" I heard the toad dude yell. "What are you doing?"

We all turned around to see Kai had jumped into the announcer's box. She had taken off her cloak, and smiled mischievously. Then she nimbly grabbed the Niwatori card from the box lined with velvet it sat in, and jumped out of the box onto the arena. At first the toad dude just sat on his seat, and blinked dumbly. But then he glared, and yelled. "The card, they took our prized card!"

Kai ran past us, and thrust the card into my hand. Before she left, she gave me a wink, and whispered, "That's for helping me back there. Oh, and if you see my brother, do me a favor and tell him to come back home, ok? Trust me, you'll know if it's him." Then she disappeared off into the distance.

I blinked, holding the card in my hand. What just happened? Then Mai snapped me back to reality. "Hey, Rox, we better run now." I glanced back to see the crowd starting to jump off the seats, getting ready to chase us.

I nodded. "Yeah, running would be a good idea right now!"

* * *

Mai ran out through the exit, throwing her cape and mask over her shoulder as she did so. We followed, and Joey ditched his costume too. Our group headed out to the desert running as fast as we could, with the angry mob chasing after us in hot pursuit. I wasn't sure if we could make it to the desert before they caught up with us.

Joey skidded to a stop, and turned to face the crowd. The rest of us stopped too. What did he think he was doing, trying to get himself killed?

"Joey, we have to go!" I grabbed his wrist. "Or do you want to get caught?"

He gave me a small wink. "Sergeant LSH, have some faith in good old Joey! I'm going to slow that angry mob down for us." Then he shook my hand away, and drew a card. "Trap Hole!"

The card glowed, and a huge crater appeared in between us and the mob of people. The crowd stopped suddenly, none of them wanting to fall into the hole. Hopefully they wouldn't find a way around or across it. But we didn't want to stick around and find out, so we all continued running towards the desert.

After running for a long time, we finally reached the edge of the desert. I panted, my throat parched. "Mokuba, are you sure we can't die of dehydration in this game?"

The little kid shrugged. "I don't think so, but I don't think we should risk it."

I nodded. "Good point." Then I gazed over to the other side of the desert. "We should get going. Are all of you ready?"

After they all nodded, I held up the Niwatori card that Kai handed me. "I summon the Niwatori!" Five huge chicken like creatures appeared in front of us, and I blinked. "Um… Now what? How do we use these guys to get across the desert?"

The others seemed to not even think about it, and each hopped onto a Niwatori.

I sighed in defeat and got onto the only one left. "Well, it's better than all the running, I guess."

* * *

While the others chatted on during maybe half of the ride, I let my thoughts wander. _Kai basically asked me to find her brother, no made me promise to… That is, if he's still alive. She never told me how long he was gone… If it was longer than a week, there's almost no hope left to ever find him. I wonder how she can still believe he's out there. I mean, I gave up after I ended up at the orphanage. If he's dead, he's dead. It's hard to accept, but what other choice is there? I wonder why Kaiba even added Kai into the game… She looked oddly like me… And that scene where she was being bullied, I described that scene to Seto before… But what's the point in adding her into-_

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard someone calling my name. "Yes?"

It was Mokuba. "You ok, Roxy? You seem a bit worried."

I shook my head and forced a smile. "It's nothing. Just thinking."

"… I'm not going color blind!" Joey sounded sure of himself. "Your eyes were blue before, and now they're green!"

"Eh? Maybe it's a, uh… Mood thing?" I shrugged. Not the best time to explain about R.

"But-" Joey never got a chance to finish what he wanted to say.

The ground started to rumble, and crack. The Niwatoris were scared, and stopped in their tracks. A huge column of sand spat out through the cracks, and out of that, emerged… A huge creature. Not huge like an giraffe. Huge like the Empire State building. Probably even bigger! It was a sand dragon, and it let out a bellowing growl, that sent shivers down my spine.

But Joey calmly drew a card from his deck. "Leave it to me! I summon Red Eyes Black Dragon! Destroy that Sand Dragon!"

The menacing red eyes of Joey's dragon stared at the Sand Dragon with no presence of fear. Then it opened its huge jaws, and a huge orb of static red energy formed in its mouth. The orb shot out of Red Eye's mouth, and when it came in contact with the Sand Dragon, the creature let out a painful cry, before exploding into dust.

"Well, looks like someone's kicking butt today." I smiled. "That's another monster down… And I'm guessing we'll have like two hundred more to beat."

"Please, don't curse us," Joey joked. "Knowing our luck, we will."

The dust that clung into the air before suddenly cleared, revealing a sort of ancient temple at the foot of the mountains, not that far away from us.

"That must be where they're keeping Seto!" Mokuba said, his confidence renewed.

Our group continued riding on, and of course Joey had to do one last crazy thing. "Go faster Drumsticks!" He named his Niwatori.

"Wow…" I said in awe. "This temple is huge!" It looked more like a castle than a temple up close.

Mokuba didn't waste any time admiring the scenery. He jumped off his Niwatori and ran up the stone steps, yelling, "I'm coming big brother!"

The rest of us quickly dismounted our chick- I mean Niwatori and followed him.

* * *

The inside looked nothing like the outside of the temple. It was a dank and dark cave, and I heard bats fluttering about. We all stopped walking when we reached a huge set of double doors. They were shut, hiding what was inside. We pushed the doors open, and I felt light headed.

In front of us was a labyrinth a lot like the ones where Joey and Yugi dueled the Paradox Brothers. And I fell down a trap door. Not the best memory in the world. "… I think my head hurts just remembering that place… Those Paradox brothers made me fall down and hit my head…" I winced remembering the pain.

Then I heard a creaking sound, and the doors shut behind us.

"NO!" I heard someone yell. But it was definitely not one of us…

I glanced at the others to see if it was my imagination. But they were looking around too, wondering where the noise came from.

Someone stepped out of the entrance of the labyrinth, a shadow over them, so I couldn't tell what they looked like. "Just when I finally find my way back, it's closed shut!" The guy moaned. "I'm never going to get out of here!"

The person stepped out of the shadows, and my mind went blank.

I didn't know what to think.

"Who are you?" Joey demanded. It was obvious he didn't trust the guy.

"Name's Ed." The guy nodded. "Sorry if I gave you guys a bit of a scare. I got lost in the desert, then lost in here, then I got out of the maze, then I went back to find my way back to my town, and now… I can't get back cause the doors are shut."

Then I managed to croak out the words, "How long was it from being lost in the desert until you found your way here?"

The boy rested his chin on his hand, and thought for a bit. "Three months."

I looked down onto the floor, and walked up to Ed. He regarded me with a curious expression. And then I raised my hand, and a loud smacking sound echoed in the maze.

Ed fell to the floor, one cheek red. "What did you slap me for?"

"You left your sister alone for three months! Three months!" I yelled. "How could you? You don't even seem the least bit concerned about anything! Kai believed that you would come back, and you don't even seem worried at all about her! How can you call yourself an older brother? Do you know how heartbroken she must have felt when she knew you were missing?"

Ed stood up, looking furious. "What do you know? I am worried sick about her, I worry about her every second I'm alone! I just don't want to think about it. You don't know how long I spent looking for a way back!"

The two of us stared at each other defiantly before breaking eye contact at the same time.

"… Sorry about that. It's just… Well, I can't explain it." I muttered. "Kai told me to tell… To tell you to come home soon."

Now I knew why Kai said I'd know her brother when I saw him. He looked like the exact replica of my older brother, Ryan. The same messy black hair, the same kind green eyes. Even the same stupid smile that he always had.

I guess that what I told him was how I felt when Ryan left. I wanted to believe he was still out there. But as each hour passed, each day, each week, each month, each year- I just gave up.

There was an awkward silence, and I remembered that the rest of the gang was there too. I scratched my head and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout the outburst… Let's go back to the current problem."

We pushed against the doors, but they wouldn't budge.

"Well, I should warn you that-" Ed started, but stopped when a terrified scream pierced the air.

One question popped up into my head: What would cause someone to be that frightened?

**

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**

Author's Notes:

**Finally. Done! This one, I worked hard on, so hope you enjoy! Um, well, other than that, I want to give a big thanks to my sister! She helped me come up with something I needed to add later on. And I was so tempted to say "Name's Ed Elrich." ^^ Fullmetal Alchemist Fan! lol And I just noticed that the title rhymes... Weird...**


	22. Chapter 21 Proven Wrong

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 21- Proven Wrong**

_Roxanna_

"Did I imagine the scream?" I asked.

Everybody shook their heads no. Ok, so I wasn't going crazy. The scream… It sounded like it belonged to a girl. But why was she screaming? What could have made her so scared?

"It sounds like she's in trouble!" Yugi looked worried. "What should we do to help her?"

Joey looked excited, and pounded his fist against his chest. "Don't worry, I'm on it!" Joey declared valiantly (in his own little brave way), and sped by the rest of us, plunging into the maze with no hesitation at all.

Knowing him, he'll get lost the first few seconds he's in there. Just another one of his desperate acts to impress a girl… Are all boys that obsessed? Or is it just Joey?

"Hey, blonde boy, I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Ed warned, but in vain.

Joey was already long gone, into the depths of the winding and confusing paths of the labyrinth, probably having no idea even which way to go to even find that screaming girl. How did he expect to save her if he couldn't even find her? Yeah, real heroic, lost in a maze with no idea how to get anywhere. And to make things worse, we needed to find him, and we didn't know where he was.

Ed sighed, and asked, "Hey, guys, what's that blonde boy's name? The one that just ran in there?"

"Joey." We chorused.

He didn't need to ask anything more than 'Who's that blonde boy?'. There was only one blonde we knew that would be stupid enough to dash off into a labyrinth with no plan whatsoever.

"Well, Joey's going to be in one heck of a mess." Ed shook his head solemnly. It looked like he was ready to plan out Joey's funeral. It wasn't that bad… Was it? "Not only is the maze really confusing to navigate with all of its twists and turns, but-" He stopped when he saw me put my hand in front of his face, signaling him to be silent. He looked perplexed and angered for being interrupted in mid- explanation. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Shhh." I shut my eyes and cocked my head left then right, trying to pick up the sound that I heard vaguely before. There was a slight rumble and the sound of rocks crumbling in the distance. Only the slightest bit but that might mean…! My eyes suddenly jerked open, with the slightest bit of unease in them. If my suspicions were right, not only was Joey in trouble, but us too.

I asked, "Guys, do you hear anything?" Everyone took a look around them, and shook their heads. Was I just being paranoid and hearing things? Then I tried a different approach. "Ed, are there any… Obstacles in this labyrinth? Other than the dead ends and false paths?"

"That's what I was getting to!" Ed pouted, faking being hurt. Then he turned serious again. "Now if you hadn't interrupted me, what I was going to say was, this maze has a few things that are meant to either trap you here, slow you down, or kill you like-"

Then he stopped, and it was clear now that everyone had heard the rumbling noises. We all turned our heads in random directions, wondering where the sound was coming from. And it grew louder by the second.

I reached into my pocket, wrapping my fingers around my trusty gem. Just in case I needed it.

We all tensed facing the maze, waiting to see what was causing the racket.

Then we heard a crash of rocks collapsing, and whirled around to see that some sort of tank had broken down the double doors we had entered through. It was blue, with many red drills, and was the height of a regular tank. The tank looked intimidating, all of its drills whirring around in rapid circles. And it was ready to charge at us.

"Um… It's kinda too late to say like Labyrinth Tanks, now, right?" Ed gulped. "… I think we should run now."

Nobody argued. Ed, Mai, and Mokuba all darted off into the maze first. Yugi hesitated when he saw me rooted to the ground, not looking like I was going to go anywhere. "Roxy, time to go."

"Not yet. I'm going to see if I can hold this thing off for a little bit." I waved casually, to show him I was going to be ok. "You can go on without me. I'll catch up with the rest of you later."

Yugi objected. "But-"

"No buts, now go!" I commanded, and he sighed.

Yugi gave me a worried look. "Fine, but be careful." Yugi ran off along with the others.

"Aren't I always?" Then I faced the Labyrinth Tank, my eyes flashing with excitement. I hadn't had a chance to practice with my sword in a while… Not to mention this might buy the others some time to get away.

I pressed the gem against my right wrist, and it started to illuminate with a golden glow. When the light dimmed, the gem was replaced with a sword, attached to my right wrist.

"Ok, you tank – thingy, you picked the wrong day to mess with me. I'm not in a really good mood today." I smirked. "So… Let's hope you like being crippled!" I ran towards the side of the tank, and quickly made a long cut down one of its belt tires. Hopefully, it would slow the tank down a bit. It would be good enough if we could get away unscathed. Then I ran towards the maze.

The tank attempted to follow, but only started going in circles, one of its belt tires useless.

Just when I was going to congratulate myself, another tank popped out of nowhere. And this one was perfectly capable of pursuing me at top speed.

I didn't stay around. I dashed into the maze as quickly as I could, my sword still attached to my wrist, slightly slowing me down. But I didn't want to stop and revert it, or that tank might catch up to me. Glancing back for a second, I saw the tank right behind me, a few feet away. Then sighing, I forced myself to run as fast as my little legs could go. Being short was so annoying.

I saw the others including Joey up ahead, and the path split in two directions. They seemed to be hesitating on which way to go.

"Guys, hurry and choose any way to go! It doesn't matter!" I yelled.

The others looked my way, and jumped. I'm guessing that they didn't expect the Labyrinth Tank to be right behind me… They turned to their left, but stopped, their eyes wide with shock. They started backing up. That wasn't a good sign; don't tell me there were more of them!

I caught up to the others, out of breathe. Surprisingly I outran the tank. "Let me guess… There's another one?"

Yugi shook his head, but his expression wasn't relieved. "It's even worse… We're surrounded on all three sides. The tanks have us boxed in!" And it was true, all of the tanks were charging down every possible escape route, towards us.

I groaned, and looked down at my sword. I don't think I could manage to get all three of the tanks… "Any bright ideas guys?"

They all started shaking their heads, but Yugi brightened up. "Wait, I have a magic card that can get us out of this mess." He drew a card from his deck. "Magical Hats!"

I looked up, and saw a giant black top hat coming down on us before the tanks got to us. Then everything turned pitch black. I blinked multiple times, trying to focus my eyes on something nearby. But I couldn't see a single thing. But I could hear the other's breathing slowly. Were we inside that hat?

The sound of the tanks had gotten farther now. Was it possible the tanks went in a different direction?

Then slowly, the scenery around us came into view, starting from the bottom. Then I looked up again, to see the faint top of the hat just disappearing into the air.

Looking around, it seemed that we were all in a different part of the labyrinth. Yugi managed to get us out of a really tight spot with that Magical Hats card. Maybe we were closer to the end of the maze now? Or at least closer to that screaming girl…

Well, I never thought I'd ever look at hats as ever being useful again. But maybe Yugi and his friends just proved me wrong yet again. Maybe I should stop judging people the way I do, just because Lucifer hurt me. I mean, I can't treat everyone like they killed my adoptive father… **(Author's Notes: If you forgot, Roxanna hates hats, because Lucifer always wears a cap everywhere. And we all should know she has a grudge against Lucifer.) **

"Fast thinking, Yugi." I nodded. "I don't think any of us could have gotten out of there alive if it weren't for you." _But what I really want to thank you for… Was that you might just be helping me to get over all the things that used to haunt every second of my life. About my family's deaths, about Lucifer, about everything… I don't think I could ever thank you enough for helping me with that._

Yugi scratched his head, and smiled modestly. "Nah, it was nothing."

Then I heard that familiar tinkling sound. It was that sound that fairy from the graveyard made! But was it that likely for the fairy to be in here too?

As if on cue, the fairy descended down and floated in front of us.

"It looks like that fairy from the graveyard!" Mokuba observed. Maybe it was… But why would it be in this maze? And I mean, it can fly, so it can easily find a way out. So it couldn't be lost…

The fairy started waving one hand, signaling for us to follow her. Before we had a chance to think, the fairy flew off down a path, and turned left. We really didn't have any other choice, so we followed her.

When we turned around, I heard a girl sounding really relieved. "Iru, you're back!"

Then when I saw who the voice belonged to, I gasped.

It was girl, about Mokuba's height. The two of them even had the same hairstyle. The girl was wearing an elegant dress, and had a crown in her hair. Mokuba could have been twins with that girl… Wow, I never expected Kaiba to make character based on Mokuba like that!

The fairy, Iru, floated next to the girl protectively.

"Hey, Mokuba, why are you wearing a dress?" Joey asked, addressing the girl.

Mokuba sighed, a vein popping out of his head, was standing behind Joey. "You idiot, I'm over here!" **(Author's Notes: That happened in the Japanese version, and I thought that was just really funny. Joey thought the girl was Mokuba. xD) **I guess Joey must have hurt his pride… Joey looked back from Mokuba to the girl, multiple times, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that…"

Mokuba stood in front of Joey, facing the girl. "Well, we heard someone screaming, was that you?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, I had lost Iru, my guide." The girl sounded really shy, and had a sort of accent. I couldn't really tell what kind.

"Well, do you know how to get out of here?" Ed asked.

The girl shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I'm lost too."

Everyone sighed, and our hope just plummeted to the ground. How were we supposed to get out of this maze?

Then the girl brightened. "But Iru will lead us out of here!"

Immediately, everyone brightened.

The fairy flew off in one direction, and we followed her. We actually saw the end of the maze.

Joey cheered. "We're home free!" Then we all stopped, and gazed up at the huge figure standing in front of us. Joey gulped. "Did I say home free? I meant, in big trouble!"

Ed started laughing nervously. "Did I forget to tell you guys about that huge Gate Guardian at the end of the labyrinth? Whoops. Must have slipped my mind."

I gritted my teeth together. "Yes, yes you did."

"Gate Guardian!" Mai gasped, looking up at the huge monster blocking our path. "I can't think of any monster that can beat it!"

I thought back to Yugi and Joey's duel with the Paradox brothers. I vaguely remember them using some sort of dragon to beat the guardian!

The two seemed to have just had the same thought.

"I summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey held up his card.

"And I summon the Summoned Skull!" Yugi shouted, and pulled out another card as well.

Then the two both chorused, "And we fuse them with a Polymerization card, to form… The Black Skull Dragon!"

The huge dragon appeared in front of the Gate Guardian, and sent an earthshaking growl into the air. Intimidating, but not enough attack points to beat the Guardian yet.

"Guys, it's a powerful monster," Mai admitted. "But it still doesn't have enough attack points!"

I drew a card from my deck. "Leave it to me! I activate Dragon Nails! That should boost that dragon's power high enough."

Huge metal claws appeared over the Black Skull Dragon's already sharp ones. Then the dragon let out a huge ball of fire, and destroyed the Gate Guardian.

"Yes!" We all cheered.

I eyed Ed warily. "Please tell me there aren't any other monsters that are going to attack us."

"Nope!" Ed smiled. "I think that's all of them."

The girl wearing the dress smiled, "You're all so brave! Like the hero's of legend!" Then she looked at me curiously. "Are you going to have that sword around your wrist the entire time?"

I mentally kicked myself. In all the commotion, I almost forgot to turn it back to the gem. "Thanks for reminding me." I put my left hand over the sword, and felt it shrink until it was back to the gem shape. Then I pocketed it.

Then we all heard shouting, and turned towards the exit. I could see the faint outlines of torches and pitchforks in the distance. Maybe even metal glinting in the faint light. I reached back into my pocket and grasped the gem. I might need to use it after all. If those people were our enemies, Ed was wrong. We had another obstacle to face. Just great.

**

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IMPORTANT: I have a poll on my profile, a question about Lucifer, if you like him, hate him, pity him, love him (… No comment xD) and ect. So please vote. Thank you!

Author's Notes:

**I wanted to show that Roxanna's starting to put behind her past, but I wanted to make it look a bit natural, so it has to go a bit slow. So when the hats were in the episode, I thought that was a good way to show she was acknowledging that she was changing for the better. But still, it doesn't mean she has to like Lucifer… **

**Anyway, I would love some criticism (but no flaming) on my writing. Grammar, spelling, word choice, the plot, ect. And thanks for reading and reviewing. -_- Just got another favorite, but the person didn't review... Please, if you favorite this story, review it. Pretty please? I'll give you a muffin... A digital one. xD**


	23. Chapter 22 Gain and Loss

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters! I only own my OC's, and the fanfic! I'm not getting any money out of this! Ok, back to the story… Just for entertainment purposes!

Rated T for violence at times… Just in case. Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

Warning: Vast amounts using the word 'hope' and 'believe'. xD

**Chapter 22- Gain and Loss**

_Roxanna_

I tensed, my fingers wrapped around the gem.

Then the shouts before were clearer now that the mob was closer. "My lady, Edina!" "My lady, are you alright?"

I felt onto the floor, a sweat drop on my face. They weren't enemies! And if they were, those were the least threatening battle cries I've ever heard. Then I stood up.

Now the people were closer too. The leader of a group was a kind looking old lady, and the rest were a group of knights, wearing armor. They all had relieved and kind smiles on their faces. No, they were definitely nice people or extremely friendly enemies.

"My lady, are you alright?" The old woman asked, sounding a bit worried.

"I am, thanks to these brave warriors, they saved me." The girl smiled, motioning towards us. At this, we all smiled modestly. "As my thanks, I'd like to invite you as guests to the palace."

We all looked at each other, daring for one of us to disagree. But nobody did.

We were about ready to board the carriages to get to the palace. They were decorated in fine detail, and were driven by some weird sort of huge bird instead of the normal horses.

Everyone but me and Ed were already inside the one we were supposed to go in. Ed hesitated. I saw him look back in the direction of the labyrinth, towards his hometown.

"You want to go back don't you? Go back to your town and your sister?" I asked. That look in his eye told me everything.

He looked a bit surprised, but then smiled. "Yeah. You guys go on to the castle without me. I'm going to try to get back to Kai. After all, she's still waiting for me. Can't leave her to wait any longer."

I shook my head grimly. "You really think you can get back? Don't you remember that the way back was blocked? Not to mention that you could get lost in that maze real easily. It's really dangerous in there, or did you forget the Guardian and the tanks? You don't think you can get through them by yourself, do you?"

Then Ed started laughing. I raised an eyebrow at him. He finally stopped his laughing fit, and looked at me with… Pity? Why would he ever need to pity me for? After all, I wasn't the person who couldn't get back to their own home in three months. "Hey, there's a thing in the world called hope. Or do you not know what it is?"

I flinched. Hope. That word… I hadn't believed in hope in a long time. I remember a conversation me and Kaiba had while Lucifer was playing with Mokuba in the orphanage. It was so long ago, but I remember the day so clearly.

_

* * *

_

"Hey, don't you wish that all of us could be adopted into the same family? You, me, and Mokuba?" Seto looked so excited. And notice how he purposely left out Lucifer. Well, it was no surprise, after all, the two boys never got along. "I hope that happens soon. Wouldn't that be great if it did?"

_I forced a smile, and kicked a pebble in the path aside. Usually I'd be really happy to have a chat with Seto, but about this topic… I wasn't exactly thrilled. And it wasn't because I wanted Lucifer to be adopted with us too. "… Hope? There's nothing to hope for. You have to make things happen. After all, hoping brings nothing."_

_Seto gave me a weird look. "Why, don't you ever hope for anything?"_

_"I used to hope that Ryan would be alive, and come find me… And we'd be family again." I admitted. "But I've waited and hoped for so long… He still hasn't come back. I didn't want to believe that he was gone, so I kept on hoping and waiting. But I guess I just started to lose faith after a while. So what good is hope if it can't get you anything you want?"_

_Seto had an amused smile on his face. "Hope is something that drives a person onward. It helps you to push yourself to gain what you want. So, I guess it might be useless… But if a person doesn't have hope… They don't have a reason to live."_

_"I guess…" I knew if I continued to argue with him, it wouldn't do either of us good. We wouldn't get anywhere. The two of us were both equally stubborn, in our own way. But I just didn't believe in hope anymore, and he couldn't easily change that._

_But he saw right through me. "You still don't believe me, do you?" I shook my head, and he smiled slyly. "You stubborn little girl… Well, I'll prove you wrong one day. You'll see."_

* * *

Even at a young age, I had learned to bear the horrible truths of the world on my shoulders. It made me have different ways of thinking than the other children my age, and even then, I tried to remain happy. My joy didn't last long.

"Oh, I know what it is." I growled. "I just don't think it's worth anything to hope. You'll just end up being disappointed even more. It's better to not expect anything."

Ed looked back in the direction of his town. "Well, maybe it's true… But if a person doesn't have hope, they don't have a reason to do anything. They're just a dead soul, doing everything just because they have to. Is that how you want to live?" Then he looked back at me. "Hope is something valuable, that we can feel. Remember, that it's better to be disappointed after hoping than to achieve without reason." Then he gave me a wink. "So don't forget that hoping isn't all that bad, eh, Roxanna?"

Then he flashed me a smile, and headed off towards his destination.

I just stood there, staring as he disappeared off into the distance. Then I noticed something. "Wait, I never told you my name, how do you know it?" But he was long gone.

It was no coincidence that Kaiba programmed Ed to look like Ryan, was it? And to make Kai look like me… I felt the edges of my lips start to curl into a smile. That devious Seto! This was how he planned to prove me wrong all along?

"Hey, Ed, Roxy, hurry already!" Joey shouted, poking his head out of the carriage. Then he blinked and looked left, then right. "Hey, Rox, where's Ed?"

I looked out towards the town that Ed set off to. "… He's going to go back home, don't worry about him." Then I climbed into the carriage, and sat next to Yugi, and the others were on the opposite side of the carriage, facing us. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting… I had to um… Never mind."

* * *

I stared out the window of the carriage, and watched the beautiful scenery pass by. The bright welcoming sun, the soft blue skies, the tranquil forests and grasses… Then I forced myself to tear my eyes away from the view. Great, just when I get to enjoy some peace and quiet, I start thinking about that car crash. It seemed that everything I do seem to be connected with my cursed past in one stupid way or another. So I decided to tune in on the other's conversation.

"Well, Mokuba, you should be flattered that Kaiba based such a cool character on you." Yugi smiled.

"Yeah," Joey smirked. "My lady." Mokuba growled, looking ready to strangle Joey.

But he calmed down, and turned towards me. "I'm surprised Seto didn't base a character off of you, I mean, you and him were really good friends…" His voice trailed off.

"Nah, its fine." I waved as if to push all my worries away. "I don't really care." _But he did base a character off of me… Kai._

"Hey, I forgot to ask you, what happened to your hair?" Mai asked, a glint of… I could tell what it was in her eyes. "Did you dye it?"

I face turned red with embarrassment. "No, the stupid thing about my hair… It turns pink when it gets drenched in rain."

Mai shrugged, and then looked towards Yugi, smiling, the same glint in her eye. "Well, I think that Roxy looks good like with pink hair, it fits her. What do you think, Yugi?"

Now I turned even redder, and Yugi started blushing. Oh that's what was in her eye… Mischief. She was teasing the two of us. It didn't help that we were sitting next to each other.

Yugi stalled, but in the end he caved in. "Um… She looks… Good?" The two of us flushed even redder, and everyone burst into fits of laughter, and even me and Yugi couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

Then I paused, and watched with amusement as the others continued laughing.

_Maybe… Just maybe. Kaiba could have been right… But why use Ryan's look alike to deliver the message to me? … Probably just to get my attention. _

_There were some perks in learning that life wasn't just a pretty happy thing. I gained a lot of things knowing that._

_But there were so many bad things about it too. I lost a lot of things knowing that too. I couldn't ever be as happy as any of the other kids my age, no matter how much I tried. I could only pretend I was. I could never put my trust in anybody as much as I could have. And there were so many other things I lost when I found out that not everything was as peaceful as I used to think._

"Hey, Roxy?" Mai pulled me out of my thoughts. "You ok? You know I was just teasing the two of you right? I didn't mean to get you upset."

"Huh?" Then I finally noticed that I was frowning, looking really mad. "Oh, it's not your fault, I'm just… Thinking." Then I forced the best fake smile I could muster. "That joke you made was pretty funny." Then my smile turned into a real one, an evil one. Oh, it was time for sweet revenge. "Hey, I saw how you looked when Joey ran off to save Edina. You… Weren't jealous, were you?"

It was time for Joey and Mai to start blushing, but the two laughed along with the rest of us.

R decided to make an appearance next to me in her spirit form. She sat there, looking amused. _'I spend all the time in the world with you, and I haven't seen you this happy in a long time.' _Then she shrugged. _'Maybe you're turning soft on us?'_

_'Don't make me go and put you in your time out corner.' _I smirked when I saw R start to shrink away from me.

_'Never mind… You're as cruel as always…' _Then R smirked_. 'Um… She looks good?' _She had gotten Yugi's voice perfectly.

Then I started blushing again, and R started snickering.

_'Ok, go into my soul room, now.' _I commanded, and R flinched.She hated my soul room, and was always complaining that it was too cold. Well, duh, it's covered in ice.

_'Fine…'_ R muttered, and started to fade away.

"Hey, Roxy, I-" Yugi looked over to me, and his eyes widened. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking directly at R.

No way… Nobody could see her in spirit form other than me… Then I remembered he saw her at Duelist Kingdom too. Wonder if he's confused. I mean, I've never got a chance to explain to the others about R… I mentally made a note to tell them about her when I got a chance.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Ah, I really rushed this chapter… But I want to finish this season fast. Then it's onto… Battle City! Probably have two or three more chapters in the virtual world, and then it's Dungeon Dice monsters! I am such an idiot! I just noticed that Ryan has black hair, Duke has black hair, Ryan has green eyes, Duke has green eyes. What a coincidence! But no, Duke is not Ryan, and Ryan is not Duke. **


	24. Chapter 23 Penguin in Armor

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

Rated T for violence at times… Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 23- Penguin in Armor**

_Roxanna_

The ride continued on for a bit, until a magnificent white castle, the roofs painted sky blue came into view. There were a few red flags on the castle that blew proudly in the wind. The palace sat atop of a large hill. Many buildings, in various shapes and sizes dotted the sides of the hill.

Wow, Kaiba must have put a lot of thought into this game. The scenery was so different; from the dreary graveyard in the beginning to this cheerful palace. Too bad he had to get kidnapped in his own game.

After we arrived at the castle, Edina and the old lady from before lead us into the castle. This town was completely different from the one we had visited before. Everything here seemed flourished and peaceful, while the other town was full of dust and sand. Not to mention the castle was enormous.

Rows of knights saluted us as we entered.

"Wow…" I murmured, admiring the beautiful castle. "I wonder whose palace is this?"

"I'm glad you like it," Edina smiled. "It's mine. I am the princess of this land, Princess Edina."

Everyone's jaw dropped, and we all gasped in unison, "Princess?"

Well, now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Edina's dress was way more intricate than the old woman's and the crown in Edina's hair… I mentally kicked myself for not noticing sooner.

"I forgot to tell you earlier," Edina chuckled at our expressions, "Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine," Yugi laughed nervously, "We were just a bit surprised, that's all."

"Well, the five of you must be very famished. Would you like to have dinner with us?" Edina asked.

I was about to turn down her offer, saying that there was no need, when Joey's stomach started growling loudly. I raised an eyebrow. "Someone's a little hungry?"

"So what if I am?" Joey glared. "Anyway, it's not as if I'm the only one here who wants to eat, right?"

On cue, all of our stomachs started rumbling.

Joey smiled triumphantly, and flashed me an 'I told you so' grin.

I glared and stuck my tongue out at Joey when he wasn't looking.

Edina laughed lightly at us, and said, "I'll take that as a yes. Just wait a bit until we're finished preparing the food, alright?"

"Thank you, your highness." I bowed to her. "We're honored that you're allowing us in your castle."

Edina shook her head. "No, we're honored to have you all here. This is thanks for saving me back in that maze."

Then she and the old woman walked into another room.

"Hey, Rox," Joey looked over at me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, ask away." I nodded.

Joey looked a bit uncomfortable. "Would you mind telling me, why does Lucifer hate you that much? And I'm wondering, but what do you remember about your brother?"

I froze. That wasn't the question I was expecting. "… To tell you the truth, I'm a bit confused about why he actually wanted to get revenge on me. Maybe because I got adopted and he didn't, or maybe…"

Then I remembered something that I seemed to have forgotten before. In that tournament the two of us were in, the prize…

"… Maybe because I won that tournament… But that doesn't seem likely…" Now I was talking to myself more than to the others. "He's not that type of person…"

"What was the prize to that tournament anyway?" Yugi asked. "You keep mentioning that tournament the both of you were in. Was there a prize?"

I nodded. "It was money. But the only reason I attended was because I wanted to have some fun. And I definitely know Lucifer doesn't care about money… I just don't understand why he wanted to win."

_

* * *

_

Flashback

"_Roxy!" I turned around, and was surprised to see Lucifer._

"_Lucifer!" I smiled, and ran over to hug him. "I miss you so much! What are you doing in the tournament, anyway?"_

_Lucifer looked really worried, as if there was something weighting down on his mind. "Roxa, I'm going to duel you in the final round."_

"_Really?" I smiled even wider. "I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun!"_

_Lucifer shook his head. "You don't understand, Roxy, I need a favor. The prize, I-"_

"_Lucifer." A man walked over to us. "Time to get to the arena. Now."_

_Lucifer flinched, but nodded. "Yes sir. But can you tell Roxy about my… Situation?" The man nodded. Then Lucifer looked over his shoulder, and gave me a pleading look, before running away._

_The man remained though. He looked at me, and smiled. "Don't listen to him, just have fun, and win, ok?"_

_I didn't notice it at the time, but his smile was a sinister one. "Ok! Hey, are you a Lucifer's dad or something?"_

_The man chuckled. "No, we're just… Acquaintances. Now go and beat Lucifer for me."_

* * *

"Roxy…" Mokuba was shaking my shoulder. "You ok?"

I blinked. "Yeah, why?"

"You blanked out for a few minutes back there," Mai gave me a worried look. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I was just caught up in my thoughts, I guess…" I shrugged. "And about your other question, Joey, my brother Ryan, there was something really different about him. He had this unique ability to make other people-"

"Excuse me?" The old lady walked back into the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're done preparing."

"Oh, that's alright…" I nodded. "I guess I'll just tell you guys next time."

* * *

The long table was draped in a white tablecloth, and had all different sorts of food set on it. Delicate silver utensils were set for all of us.

Mai sat next to Mokuba. On the other side of the table, Joey sat in between me and Yugi. I had made sure to not sit next to Yugi. I didn't need Mai to tease us again. And Edina sat in the seat of honor.

I wasn't as hungry as I was thirsty, and ended up chugging my glass of water down as soon as I sat down.

Then I glanced over to Joey, who was stuffing himself with all the food he could get his hands on.

I raised an eyebrow. And I thought nobody could beat my brother in eating too much. Joey just proved me wrong.

Maybe that's the reason why I could actually stand staying around Joey, though. In many ways, his personality was exactly like Ryan's. Joey was like the older brother I always wanted back.

"Be careful everyone, keep yourselves away from Joey's mouth." Mai joked.

When she said that, Joey's face turned a deep shade of purple, and stopped eating.

He finally choked.

"Uh, Joey, you ok?" I asked.

Joey swallowed loudly, and let out a little gasp. "Yeah, happens all the time!" Then he grinned stupidly to reassure us.

"… I'm sure it does, if you always eat the way you do now." I laughed. Oh, Ryan choked plenty of times while eating.

Joey glared at me. "I wouldn't be talking, Strawberry Head!"

I returned the glare. "Are you testing me? 'Cause you know very well I wouldn't hesitate to take a knife and stab you!"

We glowered at each other, the air around the two of us tensing. The others remained silent.

Mokuba broke the awkward silence. "Princess Edina, have you ever heard of a stranger traveling around here?"

Edina immediately looked nervous, and shifted her gaze to the floor. "Well, I have. You see, at this time of year, offerings are collected from this and another Kingdom, so the Mythic Dragon can be resurrected. The other Kingdom has already chosen an offering, some sort of stranger from a distant land."

"That's Seto!" Mokuba gasped. "Please, you have to tell me where he is!"

"The stranger is being held in the Castle of Dark Illusions, high in the sky." Edina glanced over to a painting behind us, showing a huge bird-like machine flying in between what looked like day and night. "One thousand years ago, a hero escaped the castle using a flying machine. But he hid it, and nobody's found it ever since, and that's the only way to get to the castle."

"Maybe we could fly there using Joey's Red Eyes." Mai suggested. But Edina only shook her head sadly.

"A magic barrier around the castle stops any Duel Monsters from entering." Edina sighed.

"I don't mean to change the topic, but who's going as your kingdom's offering?" I asked. Maybe that could give us another clue on how to get to the castle without the flying machine. And maybe let us have the chance of saving the other person along with Kaiba.

The old lady that stood behind her put a handkerchief to her eyes, and Edina looked down once more.

"Well, I've volunteered…" Edina said quietly. Everyone gasped. But Edina continued. "But don't worry about me. There was a legend that brave heroes would come beyond the mountains and defeat the Mythic Dragon. And I believe you are the heroes of Legend!"

Now everyone but Joey was shocked speechless. He seemed to have treated the news as a part of a game, thinking it was cool to be a hero.

But we had to rescue Kaiba, so I guess there was no choice.

"But before you do set off, you should dress appropriately." Edina smiled.

I raised an eyebrow. We were going to what?

* * *

"This is so awkward…" I muttered. "Why did I have to get this outfit?"

I was wearing some sort of armor type thing, I guess. It was basically my school uniform, with silver metallic armor strapped onto my shoulders, elbows, knees, and torso. I even had a silver and green helmet. I also wore some sort of shoes made out of the same metal as my armor. But it didn't cover most of my hair, just some of my face, and the top of my head. I lifted up the visor so I could see better. The bad part was I couldn't reach for my gem in this outfit. But the good thing was I had a sword sheathed to my side.

_How did knights back then move?_ When I walked, it was more like waddling. Great, now I was the Strawberry Penguin. Joey's going to have a laugh.

I stepped out of the changing stall, and was greeted by Yugi, who was sitting on a box and Mai, standing next to him. Both of them wearing the same outfit.

They were both wearing armor and had swords too, but weren't wearing the kind I had. They both were wearing capes. Their outfits didn't consist of helmets or metal. Which made their clothes look way easier to move in.

"Hey, guys…" I waved unenthusiastically, and waddled over to them.

"Not so easy to walk in, huh?" Mai laughed. "Well, at least it looks good on you. What do you think, Yugi?"

Both me and Yugi blushed.

When the both of our skin colors turned back to normal, Yugi muttered, "It suits you." I gave him a confused look. "I mean, I can just imagine you as a knight off in battle, I guess…"

My loose helmet visor accidentally fell down, hiding my red face. "Thanks… But I know Joey going to make fun of me in some way."

"Speaking of Joey… Is he almost done?" Yugi looked around the room.

On cue, Joey walked out of his changing stall, looking embarrassed. He was wearing a sort of brown animal fur that went down to the middle of his upper thigh, and had an animal skull on top of his head. There was a grayish belt clipped around his waist. He was wielding a huge menacing club.

"You guys pretty normal…" He grumbled.

Then I couldn't hold it in anymore. I burst out laughing. Joey glared at me. Then I walked (No, more like waddled.) over to him. "I'm sorry, you look like a caveman, it's just so funny!"

Then Joey's face broke out into a grin. "Well, it's not as funny as seeing the Strawberry Penguin… No, you're the Penguin in Armor."

"You're sooo, funny, aren't you?" I said sarcastically. "You think I'm going to be afraid of you just because you have a huge club?"

Before the two of us could break out into another fight, lightning flashed, and lit up the once beautiful and clear sky. Now it turned all dark, and thunder rumbled.

That's a bit strange…

"Come on, let's go check it out." Yugi suggested, and the rest of us nodded.

Then we ran up towards the top of the castle, to see what was awaiting us.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Sorry it's a bit short, I had a paragraph left to finish this a few days ago, and then I went to go get a drink… When I came back, all of my work was gone! Technology hates me… So this probably wasn't as good as the original chapter I wrote, sorry. Sorry about it being late too… That's the main reason, plus all the schoolwork I have. **

**Other than that, I'd like to thank Ria Con for reviewing. ^^**

**And thank all of the others reading, reviewing, and ect. I really appreciate it. I never expected anyone to read this story… **


	25. Chapter 24 Cards,Rants,Guilt,and a Smile

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

Rated T for violence at times… Language at times.

And any questions about the story that won't make me spoil the story, ask me.

**Chapter 24- Cards, Rants, Guilt, and a Smile**

_Roxanna_

We reached the top of the tower. Mokuba dressed in the same armor as Yugi and Mai, Edina in her usual dress, the old lady, and a few guards were already there. All of them looked towards the sky with frightened looks. The villagers seemed to be nowhere in sight… Maybe hiding for safety?

In the dark and stormy night, a small outline of a dark castle started to appear. The Castle of Dark Illusions. The gloomy and thundering clouds surrounded it in an eerie barrier. And the once beautiful sky was just one dark, inky space.

What I saw in the sky made me momentarily forget about how clumsily I was walking.

And a huge army of Duel Monsters were flying towards the palace. No more like thousands! But they were tiny dots in the distance, for now. We might have a chance to get rid of them all.

I glanced at my deck, and smiled lightly. My monsters don't let me down…

I drew my card, and declared, "I summon-" But then the name was caught in my throat the second I actually caught sight of the picture of the monster. Wait, that's not the card I wanted-!

But too late. The card started glowing, and the monster started to form in the sky. All I could do was stare helplessly at the glowing figure, waiting for the outcome. I felt nervous, and my head started throbbing lightly. What was going on?

Then the light dimmed, and in the air, floated the proud Dark Ice Sorcerer. It looked a lot like the Dark Magician, only its armor was dark blue and white. His staff was dark blue as well. His hair was jet black, and his eyes were a faded green. There was a scar dangerously close to his eye; just a few millimeters beneath the eye.

This was the first time I ever saw the hologram for this monster… And the first time I ever summoned it. And now that I looked at him… He resembled my brother, didn't he? The only differences would have to be the scar, and eye color. Ryan didn't have a scar on his face, and his eyes were a deeper shade of green…

And I just froze. I didn't know what to do, and I was shocked speechless. I never expected to even glance at the card ever again… And now I summoned it.

And just to make sure I never needed to use it, I would always place it at the bottom of my deck before each duel. I even managed to use a trick when I shuffled to make sure it was the last card I would draw.

The reason I never wanted to use it… I guess because this was my brother's favorite card. I didn't want to ever want it to lose in a duel. So what's the easiest way to make sure that doesn't happen? Don't use it.

All while I was trying to process the information, my head started hurting more and more. By now, my head felt like it was about to split open. A weird feeling came over me, and I shut my eyes, and then slowly opened them. I had no control whatsoever over myself anymore.

'_Warn them…'_ A voice murmured. It was definitely not R. But it sounded oddly familiar… And my mouth opened to speak.

* * *

"Roxanna! Snap out of it would you?" I felt someone shaking my shoulders violently, and slowly came out of my trance-like state. I blinked to see it was Joey.

"What's wrong?" I asked, feeling a bit light headed, and my head was pounding slightly. My vision was a bit shaky. "What did I do? I feel funny…"

Joey looked really worried. "When you summoned your monster, you just blanked out, and your eyes started giving off this weird glow. And then you started chanting on and on about something like mitowu… No, midola… No, melori… Ugh, I can't get it right!" Joey sighed with frustration. "Yugi, what did she say again?"

Yugi thought for a second, putting his hand on his chin. "Err… I think it was: The Midori no Bureka need to unite, and leave away anger and sadness, or the world shall be covered in darkness. Do not let negative feelings cloud your eyes. Let the colors clash, and break the spell." Then he shrugged. "I didn't really understand a thing…"

"What were you talking about?" Mai asked, equally as confused as the other two. "Do you know?"

I racked my brain for anything that might relate to what I apparently rambled on about before. What was a Midori no Bureka anyway? And colors clash to break a spell…? Nothing was making any sense! "Sorry, I really don't know…" I think I was having a mental breakdown. All the pressure finally got to me.

Surprisingly, Edina, Mokuba, and the old lady didn't say anything about my weird behavior.

"Forget about that, the monsters are going to overpower ours!" Mai shook her head.

I looked back at the sky, and saw that the monsters were now at the castle, but being held off by Dark Ice Sorcerer and Mai's Dark Witch. Just barely though. They were beating every monster that they could attack, but there were just too many.

Just looking back at my Sorcerer made my head spin. I held my head with one hand, trying to steady myself. What was it about this one monster that caused me to be like this?

As if sensing my unease, my Sorcerer floated off towards a different part of the battle, well out of my view. I breathed a sigh of relief and felt my strength return to normal.

"Guys, summon back your monsters," Yugi said. "I have another idea."

_Didn't have to tell me twice. _I quickly raised my card, making my Sorcerer glow, before disappearing. Mai did the same, only a bit more reluctant.

"I activate the Black Hole Magic card!" Yugi raised his card into the air. "So now I can get rid of them all at once!"

But our victory was short lived, for a quick silver blur passed by, and pinned Yugi's card onto the ground, making it useless. The kunai had come from above.

We all looked up to see a Strike Ninja on the castle roof. He must have been here to get the princess!

But before any of us could react, the ninja quickly threw a net over the Princess, and was going to run off.

Joey quickly drew a card. "Axe Raider! Get the Princess away from that Ninja!"

His monster appeared, and was holding Kunai with Chain. The monster swung it around a few times, before tossing it at the ninja with precision. The ninja was instantly destroyed on contact, and the net holding the Princess was starting to drop down.

But before we could catch her, a flying Duel monster quickly grabbed the net and flew off.

As soon as the storm and monsters came, they went, and the sky was bright and monster free.

"No!" Mokuba fell to his knees, but his voice sounded oddly different. "They've taken Mokuba, and it's all my fault…"

At first I blinked with confusion. Wasn't Mokuba right here? Then I looked back at him, but more closely. Then I saw it. His eyes… No, her eyes… "Princess Edina?" Ok, she was alright, and I'm glad and all, but then what happened to Mokuba?

Then everyone must have realized it, because we all said the same exact thing. "So Mokuba went in your place?"

Edina stood up, and nodded sadly. It was her in the armor the entire time. "I let him go. He said that if we switched outfits, they wouldn't have noticed… Mokuba wanted to see his brother, and he was so brave. And I was scared." Her face was full of guilt and despair. "It should have been me who was kidnapped, not him!"

"Don't worry, Edina," I put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to slightly comfort the shaken girl. "He did it because he was worried about you, it's not your fault. And we'll get Mokuba back, don't you worry."

But who was I really reassuring, her or myself?

I remember waiting in the car ride towards the orphanage, telling myself that Ryan would be alright. But a small insistent voice in the back of my head kept telling me that he was really gone. And the only person I could blame for him falling down was me. I mean, if he didn't have to push me out; he could have jumped out to save his own skin and leave me to fall. But even if Ryan was a bit of an idiot and stubborn at times, he always wanted me to be safe. It should have been me that died, not him!

And Edina looked as guilty and sad as I felt.

The princess nodded, but didn't look any happier. And I knew she wouldn't be until she saw that Mokuba was ok.

Ok… So our objective was to save Kaiba. Failed. And we also lost Mokuba. Another fail.

What's next, we're all going to be crushed by a giant rock falling from the sky?

"Guys, look!" Yugi pointed out towards the ground below the castle.

The rest of us looked over, and saw a strange view. The ground was flat and dusty. It bore a faint white carving of a bird-like symbol.

"It must have been uncovered by the storm earlier." Yugi observed. "And it looks a lot like the flying machine from the painting that Edina showed us."

There was only one thing to do. Go and see if the carving could help us at all with. Or that giant rock might just kill us.

* * *

The land wasn't as flat as I first thought. It seemed a bit rockier, with a lot of rocks and pebbles scattered about. And the carving was boxed in walls of rubble that once were houses.

"Ok, we're at the ruins…" I muttered, tapping the side of my head with my knuckles. "Now what do we do..?"

I was trying to think the way Kaiba would. Now if I was a multi billionaire with too much money on his hands and a huge ego, how would I get a really old plain thingy to fly again? Then I let out an exasperated sigh. I couldn't do this!

"Ugh, this is hopeless!" Joey looked as frustrated as I felt. "Even if we could manage to get the flying machine out of the ground, it can't possibly fly after a thousand years!"

A little light bulb went off. A thousand years ago… Why did that sound familiar? Maybe a Duel Monsters card I heard about before?

"Joey, there is a way to get it to fly…" Yugi said. "If a thousand years passed by to make the plane unable to work, what would make it work again?"

"Turning back time, but that's imp-" But I stopped myself. Nothing is impossible in this game. If Kaiba made it, anything can happen.

"The Time Wizard!" Joey realized. "It can make things seem like they were a thousand years ago!"

The monster appeared in the air, and held up his staff. The clock on the staff began to spin backwards.

Rocks flew into the air, stacking onto the rubble, slowly making the houses like they seemed a long time back. Even the carving was bolder. When finally, the place was restored to how it seemed a long time ago, the Time Wizard faded away.

"Ok… The place looks better," Mai admitted. "But how are we going to get the machine to-" And she stopped when the ground began to shake.

And then the earth beneath us started to crack and crumble into pieces. The pieces started to shoot upwards in random spots, and we tried to keep our balance. And then something beneath our feet started to rise as well. Something wooden...

* * *

It was huge! The flying machine… It was made of wood, and yet still resembled some sort of cross between a bird and a lot of helicopters. That's Kaiba for you, messing with something old to make it look modern.

A fairy flew up to us, hovering near Yugi.

"Iru!" Yugi exclaimed. "I guess you're coming with us, huh?" The fairy nodded happily.

The machine was high up in the sky now, and I looked over the edge to see all the villagers gathered at the bottom, including the princess. They yelled words of encouragement.

But two people really stood out to me. Ed and Kai. They stood there side by side, gazing up at us, with smiles on their faces.

_I guess he really did manage to get back and find her, eh? Kaiba… I guess you finally proved me wrong about that topic, didn't you?_

"You did it!" Mai jumped onto Joey, holding him in a tight hug.

"Ah! Get off me!" Joey blushed, and managed to push Mai off of him.

I couldn't help it. The corners of my mouth tilted upwards. _These guys might be weird and annoying sometimes… But they're my friends. Ones that I can actually call my real friends._

"Ah, ha!" Joey pointed at me, looking triumphant. "That's it!"

"Eh?" I tilted my head, I bit confused.

"That's the first time I've seen you smile like that with green eyes!" Joey said. "A real smile, not a teasing one, or a fake one."

"Really?" I mused. "That's… Odd. I never really noticed."

"Yeah…" Yugi smiled. "It is actually the first time…" And Mai nodded, agreeing.

"Yep, little Strawberry Shortcake's finally smiled for real!" Joey laughed, and playfully punched my arm.

"Strawberry Shortcake?" My eyebrow twitched in annoyance. _Of all the nicknames he would pick…_

… But it's better than having Lucifer calling me Anna, I guess…

_Fake friends. They're the ones that lie, and break you. _

Like Lucifer.

_True friends. They're the ones that can know the real me. No matter how much I act. They're the ones that can see through my walls of ice. They're the ones that help mend broken hearts. And they're the ones that can even replace family at times. _

Like Yugi, and the rest of them.

And my smile just got wider. "Yeah, you're right, it's my first real smile in a long time."

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

… **The weird thing Roxanna said… I'll just let you think about it for a while, but it won't be brought up in a lonnng time. **

**And thanks Ria Con for the nickname, Strawberry Shortcake. **

**And another thing, I'm debating on my title for the next season, should it be 'Inner Disbelief', 'Inner Struggle', or should it not begin with Inner?**


	26. Chapter 25 Repayment

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

**Chapter 25- Repayment**

_Roxanna_

"I call driving!" Joey yelled, and ran up to the front of the plane where the steering wheel was. He quickly spun the wheel, and the ship swerved towards the right. And the crowd continued to cheer, as we headed off towards the Castle of Dark Illusions.

Joey gripped both hands on the steering wheel, and casually drove the ship towards the castle.

The rest of us had gathered at the front of the plane as well. I leaned over the railing, watching the scenery as my thoughts started drifting off.

_I wonder… Lucifer, did he get adopted yet? Or is he still alone? Wait, why am I worrying about him? He could die for all I care!_

"Hey, Roxy," Yugi poked my shoulder, and pulled me out of my little world.

"Oh, hey." I nodded a little absentmindedly.

"So…" Yugi said. "This might seem a bit… Random, but I'm wondering, what kind of job would you want?"

"Job?" I was kind of surprised. I mean, I never gave much thought to it… "Well…" I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "Maybe something to do with Egypt, since I'm pretty interested in that. Or-" Then I stopped myself and shook my head. "Nevermind, the other one's stupid. Why do you ask?"

"Oh… I just really don't have an idea for what I want to be, that's all." Yugi shrugged. "But what was the other one?"

"Er… Well, I only say this because I used to do it for fun even though I'm not that good… I haven't exactly tried it lately…" I shifted my gaze towards the floor, and mumbled my answer. "Acting."

"Really?" Yugi seemed surprised. I guess I didn't seem like an acting person.

"Yeah, kinda weird, huh?" I laughed bitterly. "Me, acting?"

_I used to love acting out random things with Ryan. Sometimes I'd have to act out as two characters that would argue with each other. And I'd have a hard time to keep myself from laughing. Ryan didn't help much when he tried to stifle his laughter. The two of us were so carefree back then. But that was a long time ago. I wish I could just go back to that, if even for just an hour… Really, even a minute would be good…_

"Roxy…" Yugi was calling my name. "I asked you something."

"Oh, sorry," I smiled apologetically. "I was thinking about something and didn't hear you…"

But Yugi never got to ask his question. "Guys, over there!" Joey motioned with his head towards the space in front of us.

The Castle of Dark Illusions floated in front of us, and in our way were thousands of duel monsters.

"Ok, let's get this over with…" I sighed, and quickly drew a card from my deck and held it up. The others did the same.

"I summon Legendary Ice Angel!"

"I summon the Dark Magician!"

"I summon Harpy Lady!"

"And I summon Fierce Knight!"

Our monsters quickly flew into the air, attacking the swarm that advanced towards us. They were doing a good job destroying the enemies, but there were still a lot left.

I stared intently at the battle, focusing on where my Angel was going.

"Roxy!" I heard Yugi call my name, and whirled around.

A monster that resembled a sort of dragon flew down with rapid speed towards me, its jaws opened wide, showing it's sharp teeth.

I tried to pull out my sword and step forward to counter the attack, but tripped and fell on my back, wincing.

_Stupid armor…!_

The dragon swooped down on me, and I shut my eyes, losing all hope.

_

* * *

_

R

I managed to block the attack with my sword, and quickly got up on my feet. Then I swung my sword at the dragon, and watched it let out an ear piercing roar before it disappeared.

… _Rox needs to learn how to balance herself._

"Roxy, you ok?" Yugi asked, looking relieved. "I thought you were a goner!"

"Nah, I got pretty good reflexes." I shrugged, smiling. But then I frowned, yelling. "Yugi, watch out!"

A bird-like monster had its claws extended, ready to strike at him. But I was too far away from him to get there in time. And I was too stunned to move.

Yugi turned around, looking shocked, but when the bird went to attack him, Iru blocked it. The little fairy fell to the ground slowly, and the Dark Magician quickly came and attacked the bird, and destroyed it. The Magician quickly went back to continue destroying the other monsters.

"Swords of Revealing Light!" Yugi held up his card, and the monsters were blocked from attacking us. Then he knelt to the ground, and picked up the little fairy that had fallen before.

"Yugi!" I ran over to him, worried. "You ok?"

"I am but…" Yugi looked sadly at the fragile Iru he held in his hands. "But Iru… Say something, please!"

I felt like a knife was stabbed into my heart, looking at the scene. _Iru did that to save Yugi… Risked its own life for his…_

Iru tried to muster a small smile, but started to disappear slowly, until Yugi was left with nothing of the little fairy in his hands.

"No… She's been digitized…" Yugi murmured, his voice barely audible, but clearly holding pain.

All of us had sad looks on our faces, but I felt another emotion that I couldn't really quite describe… But it wasn't a sad one…

Yugi stood up abruptly, clenching his fists. He let his tears fall freely onto them. "I've had enough!"

His Millennium Puzzle had started glowing, and Yugi switched with Yami.

"Ok, Joey, charge ahead!" Yami commanded.

Joey nodded, and spun the ship towards the Castle again, and we flew in silence for a bit.

* * *

That's when I finally felt the emotion grow stronger. It made me feel sick. I leaned against a railing, and realized what I was feeling.

It was anger. Bitter, dark anger. I had no idea where it had come from. But the emotion was so overpowering…

"All Iru did was try to help save Yugi… And what did she get?" I said quietly. "She's basically dead…" Now my voice had started to rise. "If someone was only trying to prevent someone else from getting hurt, why is it that they always have to be sacrificed in the process?" I slammed my fist against the metal railing and ignored the pain. "They don't deserve that!"

I felt a light hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me to see Yami. "It's going to be alright, ok Rox?"

I sighed, and nodded my head slowly. The rage had just come so suddenly, and now it was diminishing just as quickly. "Sorry about that I don't know what came over me…"

"What did you mean by 'they always have to be sacrificed'?" Yami asked. "Did something happen before?"

"I uh…" I racked my brain for answers but found none. "It's just-"

I was cut off when the front of our ship rammed into something invisible, and sent the plane shaking.

"Looks like we hit the barrier…" I guessed. "Now how do we get through?"

"If the ship lives up to its legend," Joey said. "It should pass right through."

And after a few seconds, the front of the ship penetrated through the barrier, and we were in.

I sighed, a bit relieved. Well, we were another step closer to saving those Kaiba brothers.

But my relief was short lived.

After Joey steered the ship back on course towards the castle, a loud spine chilling roar rose into the air. Joey quickly steered the ship towards the side, but not fast enough.

A beam of fire suddenly shot out from the entrance of the castle and managed to slightly graze one of the ship's wings.

The one responsible for the fire emerged from the entrance. A Salamandra.

Mai thought quickly and ordered her Harpy Lady to attack. The Salamandra disappeared into nothingness with another growl.

That didn't stop the ship from burning though. The flames were quickly destroying it. If this kept up, we would eventually fall. And it was a long way down…

"Winged Dragon of the Fortress!" Yami quickly summoned his dragon, and we managed to get out of the burning vessel without falling.

Well, almost.

There wasn't enough room on the dragon, and I didn't manage to get on in time.

So I was sent plunging down, watching helplessly as the others grew smaller in the distance. I vaguely heard them calling my name… No, Roxy's name. I didn't know what mine was.

Not even my monster, the Legendary Ice Angel, was nearby. There was no person or monster that could help me right now... Wait...

_That's it! A monster!_ I quickly fumbled around with my duel disk until I manage to draw a card. _Please be something that can fly! Anything that can fly!_

"I summon you!" I raised the card into the air, and it shone brightly. And I shut my eyes, waiting for the outcome.

* * *

I opened my eyes, and started blinking, looking around.

I was definitely still in the air… And I was being carried around by my wrist, which by the way was hurting…

"Hey!" I managed a smile, and looked at my savior. "Thanks!"

The monster remained silent, his mouth set in a grim line. He didn't meet my eyes.

"So…" I knew I wasn't going to get much of a conversation with a hologram. "You're that monster that I never used yet, right? Dark Ice Sorcerer, I think…"

The monster nodded, but still didn't look at me.

"Why such the long face?" I asked. "I mean, you-" And then I stopped. The Sorcerer looked me in the eye. And I regretted asking. Those green eyes… They were full of guilt, sorrow, and a small flicker of defiance.

"Don't look at me like that… You didn't do anything wrong, I mean you saved me!" I laughed nervously, but the same emotions were there, not changing in the slightest bit.

Then I noticed something else. My helmet was missing.

"Are you feeling bad cause you dropped my helmet?" I inquired. The Sorcerer didn't reply, but averted his gaze. "Don't worry about it, ok?" Again, no reply.

The rest of the time, the Sorcerer was silent, and I didn't attempt to start another conversation.

* * *

He finally managed to bring me to the top of the Castle, into a dark cave-like place.

"Thanks!" I gripped my throbbing wrist. Oww… I have a feeling I'm going to feel that when I wake up in the real world.

The monster only nodded, and disappeared in a swirl of cold snow.

"Roxy!" I turned around and saw the others. "You're ok!"

They quickly caught up with me. "Duh I am." I smiled lightly. "I managed to get here with the help of one of my monsters… So any signs of the Kaiba's?"

The shook their heads solemnly.

Then we looked around the room, and yelled Kaiba's name over and over again.

The cave was a dome-like shape, and crudely carved pillars held up the ceiling.

All of a sudden, another roar filled the air. _Oh please not another Salamandra, one was enough!_

But the head that came from the ceiling was a Blue Eyes. And it slowly descended down onto the ground, glaring at us with menace. Two familiar people jumped down as well. One was Kaiba, looking not in the least bit harmed, and wearing his usual outfit. The other was Mokuba, and instead of the princess dress, was wearing armor.

"Kaiba, you're alright!" Joey sighed, relieved.

"Of course I am," Kaiba smirked. "I can take care of myself without the need of help from a dog dressed in a caveman outfit."

Joey growled, looking ready to give Kaiba a good beating.

"Joey, just forget about it, ok?" I slightly pushed him back, to keep him from pouncing on Kaiba. "Everybody's ok for now, and that's all that matters."

"Key word, for now!" A deep, old voice cackled, and everyone looked around to see where it had come from. But the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that it could have come from would be the portal in the back of the room.

"We've beaten the game already," Kaiba glared at the portal. "I wasn't offered the Mythic Dragon, so it wasn't summoned! We won!"

The voice laughed again. "In your version of the game! But you're forgetting something very important… It's our game now, and what we say, goes!"

The whole room was enveloped in a veil of darkness for a few moments. Then the scenery changed to look like we were standing on a huge computer chip.

"What's going on?" I looked around, and subconsciously gripped my hand on the hilt of my sword.

"They've re-written the program!" Kaiba gritted his teeth. "They're going to summon the Mythic Dragon, even without using a sacrifice."

All of a sudden, a loud bellow filled the air, and we all looked up in front of us. There, stood a large five headed dragon, each head a different element: Fire, Water, Earth, Lighting, and Darkness.

"Ok, let's beat this thing and head home!" Mai sounded a bit impatient now. "I summon the Harpy Lady Sisters!"

But the second they emerged onto the field, they cried out in agony as electricity coursed through them, and crumpled to the floor.

"What's going on?" Mai said, looking at her monsters with a look of pure shock and agitation.

"Look down under your feet!" The voice chuckled, as we all saw the faint image of a Lord of the Dragons under our feet. "That seal only allows dragon types monsters to attack!"

Kaiba started to smile, and then slowly laughed manically. When he finally stopped, a proud smirk stayed on his face. "You dare challenge me to a battle of dragons?" Then he held up his cards. "I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Then the rest of us nodded, getting the plan. Summon only dragons. Ok…

"Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

"Harpy's Pet Dragon!"

"Curse of Dragon!"

All of the dragons appeared on the field, in front of us, prepared to attack.

There was only one problem… "Uh… I don't have any dragon monsters…" I sighed, hanging my head. _I told Roxy she needed one. But then she said: No, I don't need one, because I don't want one, and I can handle my own duels you know! Blah, blah, blah… _And I am sounding like a whiney child, aren't I?

The voice chuckled. "Well then, too bad, you're defenseless here then! As well as Mokuba!"

I glanced at the youngest one of us. If Mokuba got hit, then…!

I quickly stepped in front of Mokuba, and held out my sword in front of me. "Stay behind me!"

Now that I looked at things… My sword looked like a toothpick compared to the huge Mythic Dragon…

"Well then say goodbye!" The voice snickered, and two of the dragon's five heads let out beams of electricity and fire right at me. I stood my ground, and gritted my teeth.

"Red Eyes, take the hit!" I heard Joey command.

"You too, Harpy's Pet Dragon!" Mai instructed.

Before I could protest, the two dragons managed to block the attacks for me, but disappeared in the process.

"Joey, Mai!" I cried, looking over to them. Joey fell to his knees as his life points dropped to zero. And Mai did the same.

Joey managed a smile. "Well guys, it's up to you now…" And he slowly started to disintegrate into small shining pixels. Then he was gone.

"I can't go one either…" Mai sighed. "You guys have to beat these creeps ok?" And she disappeared too.

"Mai… Joey…" I felt that familiar anger welling up again, and tried to keep it under control. "They risked their lives for us…"

"Kaiba!" Yami looked over at him. "We have to work as a team to beat that dragon!"

"I can beat that thing myself!" Kaiba turned away, looking stubborn. "I don't need help from you!"

Yami glared at him. "Stop being so stubborn, you can't always do things on your own."

"And you can't tell me what to do!" Kaiba retorted.

"Kaiba!" I yelled, my face full of rage. The anger had taken over. And before I knew it, I had slapped him. "Don't you see that all you care about is yourself right now? Will it kill you to just work with Yugi? If you lose, what do you think will happen to your brother!"

Kaiba held his reddened cheek, stunned by my sudden outburst. But he didn't protest. And I took that as a yes for working together.

Yami was also a bit taken aback by my behavior, but nodded. "Alright, I summon the Black Luster Soldier!" The soldier formed onto the field, but knelt down as the electricity paralyzed him.

"You fool!" The voice laughed again. "Did you forget, only dragons work on this field! Now Mythic Dragon, attack his soldier!"

I didn't even have time to process what I did, but I sure felt it. I had run in front of the blast, barely blocking part of it with my sword. Pain shot through my body as I fell down onto the ground with a loud thump.

"Roxanna!" Yami ran over to me, and kneeled down, grabbing my one hand with one of his. His face was full of confusion and sorrow. "Why did you do that?"

I laughed feebly, and felt the pain increasing, bit by bit. But I did manage to get out the words I wanted to say. Words that just slipped out automatically. "Silly… Don't you remember?" I stared right into his eyes, smiling sadly. "I owe everything to you. And I'll never be able to repay you for it. Ever. It's the least I could do, right?"

The way he reacted to those words, I knew he had a million questions to ask. But I couldn't answer any of them. Because I didn't even know what I had said.

"Just, don't let any of us down, ok?" I squeezed his hand. "We're all counting on you guys… Kaiba, Yugi, beat those guys for us…"

Kaiba remained silent, probably because of the blow I had given him earlier.

Then with one final squeeze, I felt myself start to turn into digital particles. "Just… Don't forget… I'll always be by your side when you need me…" And I shut my eyes, feeling myself disappear into nothingness.

* * *

"Rox, you ok?" I felt someone shaking my shoulder, but I couldn't really tell who. Their voice was a bit muffled.

"Huh?" I sat up quickly, but groaned and fell back just as fast. Everywhere ached with pain. _Right, I took that blast… Oww…_

"How do you feel?" Yami asked and I looked around to see that the others were ok too. Joey, Mai… Except Kaiba and Mokuba were gone.

"Like I ran ten marathons, then got run over by a train, and to top things off getting stomped on by a huge dinosaur." I sighed. "Where's Kaiba and Mokuba?"

"They've gone back already." Yami motioned towards the portal. "After Kaiba cooperated, we managed to beat the dragon by fusing my Black Luster Soldier with His Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon."

"We should head back too." Joey nodded, and Mai was leaning against his shoulder for support.

"Yeah…" I tried to stand up, but wobbled as I did so.

"Here," Yami caught me before I fell. "I'll help walk you back."

I flushed, but nodded, and the four of us walked into the portal, finally taking us home.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

I yawned, and stretched as my pod door opened. Then I winced, when I felt a jolt of pain go through my body.

_R has a lot of explaining to do…_

"You guys are back!" Tea and Tristan cheered, as we all stepped out of our pods.

"Yeah… And my big brother's alright!" Mokuba smiled. "Thanks guys!"

"Don't mention it!" Joey shrugged. "Now go find your big bro!"

Mokuba nodded, and ran out of the room.

"Well, we should get back home soon too." Yugi suggested.

"Ugh!" I groaned, and everyone looked over to me. "I still have math homework to do!" And I rushed back home before the others could say a thing.

When I got to the bookstore, I stopped. Out on the front steps was a piece of paper, with words written on it. A note. To me?

I quickly picked it up and stuffed it in my pocket. I had other things to do. Namely math-homework-that-is-due-tomorrow-and-if-I-don't-finish-the-teacher-will-kill-me. And it was a **lot** of homework. Not to mention getting R to tell me what the heck happened back there in the game while I was away.

And anyway, the note probably was not something I really need to worry about… For now.

Oww... My wrist is killing me!

**

* * *

**

Author Note:

**Before you ask me, why acting, it is pretty important to season 4. So remember it! And who knew R had it in her to be so… Angry? O.O Anyway, sorry that I kinda rushed this chapter, but I'm pretty busy lately… And next up is dungeon dice monsters! I'm almost done! Oh, and thanks Golden-Black Dragon for reviewing!**


	27. Chapter 26 A Note and Surprise

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

**Chapter 26- A Note and Surprise**

_Narrator_

Roxanna quickly threw her book bag over her shoulder and stuffed a piece of toast into her mouth before she was about to run out of the bookshop for school. Then she stopped halfway to the door, remembering something.

She never opened that note from yesterday… And she reached into her pocket to pull it out. It was folded into a fourth the size of a normal sheet of paper, and had the words _To Roxanna Hylkio_ neatly written on it. But the sender's name wasn't on it. Roxanna slowly opened it up, and was surprised by what she saw. She quickly scanned her eyes over the words, speechless for a few minutes. While reading, she finished eating up her toast while her mind was filled with a never ending list of questions that just continued to expand as she continued to read.

_

* * *

_

Dear Roxanna,

_Life… It goes by fast, doesn't it? Well, I just thought I'd give this to you before I go and… Never mind. It's not really important. For now anyways._

_I have a bad feeling the next time we meet, I have to do something I'll regret for the rest of my life. Ha, that's a laugh. I've done so many things that I'll always regret, things that won't be erased from my memory. For eternity. I guess you should know that more than anybody else. After all, you've witnessed some of the horrible things I did first hand._

_But you know what they say, there's always two sides to every story. Maybe what I'm doing is right. Maybe I'm just plain wrong, and deserve every punishment that's been flung to me so far. And I wouldn't be surprised if you agreed with the second option. No, you would want me to be punished even more, wouldn't you? Not that I blame you for thinking that way… I've cause you a lot of pain… So much pain... _

_Well there's another thing I needed to tell you. Really, so many things I need to tell. But I'll never have the chance, will I? There's never enough time to do everything you want to… I guess that's why time is so precious. And to think I used to take it for granted._

_I've always been there, watching over you. Always have, always will. Don't ever forget that, ok?_

_I'm sorry to say, but I have some really bad news, no horrible news about -, he's being- I said no- but I have to for- sorry- don't- not enough- they're here- can't- go-_

* * *

The rest of the letter was faded, the ink smudged. Some of the words in between were missing too. Even the signature was blurry, illegible. But Roxy didn't need to see the person sign their name to know who gave this to her.

Roxanna took the note, and carefully folded it back into the way it was before. Then she walked over to the door that would lead her out of the bookstore. But she turned around, so her back was facing the door. Then she crumpled the letter to as small of a ball she could muster, and tossed it into the garbage can. It fell in neatly, and a light thump was heard when it hit the bottom.

"Good riddance." She smiled grimly. "I wish I knew what the rest of the letter said but…" Roxanna pushed the door open. "I don't really care… Lucifer. Keep your stupid words to yourself."

And then she locked the shop door behind her and headed out for another day of school. Less than a second later, a loud scream rose into the air.

* * *

Yugi walked out of the Game Shop, and greeted his grandfather.

Yugi's Grandpa only continued to sweep the ground, muttering to himself. Yugi looked worriedly at the old man, but brightened when he heard someone call his name.

"Hey, Yugi!" Tea came over to him, and waved as cheerful as ever.

"Good morning, Tea!" Yugi smiled brightly, only to shiver when he heard a scream.

"Did you hear that?" Tea said, her voice shaking.

Yugi nodded, and the two looked cautiously towards the direction the scream came from.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Roxanna lumbered from an alley across the other side of the road, with birds swarmed all around her. "Gah! Why won't you stupid birds just go away?"

She swatted at them, and most of them eventually flew away. Except Phoenix.

Then Roxy glared at the small bird, and sighed. "Well, I guess it's better than the whole flock…"

"Roxy!" Yugi and Tea called while waving towards her. "Over here!"

Roxanna looked around until she spotted the two, and walked over. "Oh, hey ,Yugi. Hey, Tea."

"Hey!" Tea smiled. "I'm wonder... But was that you screaming before?"

Roxanna sighed. "Sadly yes… I stepped out of my shop, and then those birds started attacking me for no apparent reason!" Then making a disgusted face she spat out a few feathers. "It's very annoying…"

Then she looked over to Yugi's grandpa, who looked down at the floor while he swept and muttered to himself.

"Err… Good morning, Mr. Mo- I mean Grandpa." Roxanna smiled at the old man, but he only continued to sweep away at the dust on the pavement. The only sign that he actually heard her was his small mumble of a 'Hi'.

"Yugi, is your grandpa ok?" Roxanna whispered at Yugi. "He looks… Depressed."

"I don't know…" Yugi sighed, crossing his arms. "He's been acting like this all morning, and I'm starting to get worried…"

The three kids put their hands to their chins, trying to think of a logical explanation.

"Ok, I'm going to tell you!" Yugi's grandpa suddenly appeared at the three of them from behind.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

We all jumped in surprise, and a bit out of fear. The look on Yugi's grandpa's face made him look way more menacing than usual. If looks could kill, we'd all be crumbled into tiny ash particles by now. And then the old man would sweep us away into the wind just like he did to all the dust on the floor a few moments ago.

"I've endured many things in my life!" Yugi's Grandpa had his fists clenched and they were shaking with rage. "I've been trapped in an ancient pyramid, stung by scorpions, and attacked by Tibetan wolves…"_ He did? Wow, the guy had a full life didn't he? But I think I'd pass on all of those things… Especially getting stung by scorpions. I've seen those sting marks, and they aren't a pretty sight…_ "But nothing compares to this…"

I blinked. _What could be so bad? Don't tell me he's been chased by dinosaurs too… Or his plane crashed into the middle of the Pacific Ocean… Wait, he probably doesn't own a plane! But Kaiba would…_

"A new game shop!" Yugi's grandfather pointed at a tall yellow building that stood out against all the small ones.

"Ohhhh…" I nodded. "Competition, right? I remember this one time, another bookstore opened on the same street as mine… That was a bit frustrating and annoying for a little bit." Then a small smile formed on my face. "That is, until they closed."

Tea blinked. "Well why did they close?"

"It was burned down in a huge fire. Haven't you heard?" My smiled turned into an evil looking smirk. "Bad things happen on that street across from that alley that I just came out of a few moments ago… Like murders, robberies, bomb threats, and other things I can't think of…" When the others gave me scared looks, I added with a sweat drop. "Not that I was involved in any of that! And the bad luck hasn't struck my shop yet…" _But it struck me a long time ago._

"They think they can drive me out of business by selling their trendy new trash! But they have no respect for the gaming traditions, the true classics, because they sell only the fans of today!" The old man continued his rant, ignoring what I had just said. But then his eyes twinkled with mischief. "Say, Roxy, is that new game shop on the same street as yours?"

"Grandpa! It's not nice to wish other stores misfortune!" Yugi scolded. His grandfather muttered a 'sorry', looking a little ashamed.

"Hmm…" I looked back at the new store thoughtfully. "Actually it is! Wow, what a coincidence."

Immediately, the old man's expression turned much more cheerful. And I think he started muttering about burning buildings and blowing up things.

The rest of us sweat dropped. _Note to self: Don't get on the bad side of Yugi's grandpa. I'll probably need to go to the hospital after that. No, I'll be in my grave..._

"Well, maybe I should go check out the store and see what we're up against!" Yugi said, sounding enthusiastic.

"Don't even think about it!" His grandfather yelled, causing all of us to jump once more. Wow, talk about a change of mood… First plotting the destruction of the new shop, and then angry for your grandson to want to see the new shop.

"Well, uh, we should get going, guys!" Tea grabbed me and Yugi by our hands, dragging us away from Yugi's grandfather. "There's a really important thing we're discussing at school today and we don't want to miss it, right guys?"

When we were a long way away from the old man, me and Yugi blinked. "Do we really?"

"I don't know…" Tea shrugged. "All the teachers' are making our whole grade participate in some surprise activity… A sort of meeting... Might not be all the important. But it was a good enough excuse to get away from Yugi's Grandpa before he get really angry."

I couldn't blame her for thinking that way.

* * *

"I never knew Yugi would be so rebellious… After his grandfather just told him not to come here… He just has to come and visit here." I sweat dropped. "None of us are going to be able to stay alive if his grandpa finds out we've been here…"

Yugi had begged us to come and see the new game shop with him before we went to school. In the end, we grudgingly came with him. After all as he innocently put it 'What's the harm in a little window shopping?' _Um… Feeling the wrath of your grandfather might be a slight problem… _Right now he was talking to one of the employees of the shop that stood outside, holding a stack of flyers.

But the new game shop was much more impressive looking than Yugi's- _What are you thinking? Stay loyal to your friends! _I mentally scolded myself for letting myself think like that.

Yugi came back from looking around, holding a flyer. He was carefully examining the writing and pictures on it.

"Hey, Yugi, what's that flyer for?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me. After all, I had seen many people holding up the same flyer and talking about it. They sounded really excited about it.

"Some sort of new game, Dungeon Dice Monsters!" Yugi sounded really interested. "It sounds pretty cool… I wonder if I could buy it here. Grandpa was asking me what new games we should get to sell at the Game Shop the other day... Maybe this might be a good one, what do you guys thin-"

But before he finished talking, Tea dragged Yugi off by the back of his book bag strap towards school. She looked really annoyed and had a vein popping at the top of her head. "If you guys make me late for class again…" She growled with impatience. "I'll force the two of you to do my homework for a week! No, two weeks!"

At the mention of doing her homework, I quickly bolted after her and Yugi. No way was I going to do extra work… Especially after I found out that I took forever to finish that huge math packet yesterday… It didn't exactly help that my wrist wouldn't function properly for a whole hour. In fact, I think it's still a bit stiff.

* * *

The three of us had managed to get to class without being late, and were now telling Joey and Tristan what had happened.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Joey said slowly, but clearly shocked. "There's a spankin' new game shop?"

"Yeah," Yugi sighed, looking concerned. "And my grandpa's really worried about it."

"They've got all the latest and greatest games too," Tea nodded. "And they were trying to advertise this new game about dice or dungeons…"

"They have that new Dungeon Dice Monsters game?" Joey gaped.

… _Wait, he actually knows about the game?_

"When did you become an expert about the game?" Tristan asked, looking just as surprised as I was.

"There's a thing in the world called a newspaper," Joey retorted. "Ever read one, genius?"

Tea's and my mouths dropped open in shock. "You actually read newspapers?" I never really knew he could read in the first place…

Joey anime fell, but quickly jumped to his feet. "I read newspapers when I go and deliver them. Because unlike some people-" At this point he glared accusingly at me. I raised my hands in front of my face to defend myself. "- I don't get any allowance, and I need a bit of extra money to spend. After all, I have to save each penny of the prize money Yugi gave me at Duelist Kingdom for my sister's eye operation."

I didn't have the heart to remind him that I don't get an allowance. Common Logical Deduction: No parents= No allowance… "Well, how's your sister doing?" I asked, trying to take my mind off of the sudden pang of loneliness that I felt after I was reminded that I had no family. Not to mention the note I read this morning.

"Awesome!" Joey said happily, totally oblivious to my negative mood. "The eye doctor said that she's going to see again after the operation, and the first thing she's going to see is-" Joey stopped in mid sentence to let out an 'ow'. Phoenix had gotten bored, and started pecking at his head. I almost forgot that the little guy was even here. She'd been so quiet…

After Joey got Phoenix away from his head, the bird chirped and flew out of the classroom.

"Roxy, aren't you going to chase after her?" Yugi asked.

Under normal circumstances, I probably would have. But I wasn't in the mood. "Nah, Phoenix will probably be fine…"

And then the classroom next to ours burst into a fit of loud high pitched giggles.

The others exchanged looks, trying to see if we should go see what the fuss was about. They all seemed to agree, and started walking off towards the door. I on the other hand remained rooted to the ground, uninterested. Joey and Tristan attempted to drag me to the other room, but failed.

In the end, it was another different thing that forced me to walk into the room. Namely a very curious spirit named R.

'_You're going.' _R stated, standing next to me in spirit form. _'If you're not, can I go instead?'_

'_No, I'm not!' _I said defiantly. _'I'm not letting you take me over there, and that's final!'_

'_Ok… Let's see...' _R took out a book from nowhere, titled: Rules Regarding the Millennium Hourglass. '_Hmm… Rule number 1: You shouldn't forcefully tak_e _over your host's body without asking first. If the time comes where the host says no, and you would like to, then go ahead and do it anyway.' _Then she shut the book and pocketed it. _'Well… I did ask, you said no, and I want to so…'_

'_And who made up those rules?' _I demanded.

R gave me an innocent smile. '_Me.'_ And the hourglass began to glow.

_

* * *

_

R

"Ok, ok, I'm coming!" I laughed, and shook off Joey and Tristan's hands from my arms. Mischief still twinkling in my eyes, I headed over with the others towards the next room.

Before the four of us managed to stick our heads in to take a look, a familiar bird dove out from it and perched onto my shoulder.

"Hey, Phoenix!" I lightly petted her little head with my pointer finger. Phoenix chirped, but shot a glare at Joey. The two glowered at each other, and the air around them tensed. I sweat dropped. "Eh… Phoenix, Joey, shouldn't we be seeing what's in the room?" The two grudgingly broke eye contact. _Gees, even birds can act like that… Very childish…_

We all walked into the classroom, to see a guy sitting at a desk, with a group of girls hovering over him. The girls were giggling and staring dreamily at the guy.

But it wasn't the girl's reactions that surprised me, even though I have to say they might have been fawning over him a little too much. From my angle, and the girl's blocking my way, I really only saw two things: Black hair, green eyes.

That made me remember something. Me and Roxy had a conversation a long time ago… It was a little after we finally acknowledged each other's existence and bonded a bit.

* * *

'_Tell me about your family.' I said, while watching Roxy stacking the newly shipped books on the empty shelves. 'You know, before they died falling off a cliff.'_

"_Why do you want to know anyway?" Roxy asked, her back facing me. She sometimes talked aloud if there was no one else in the room but me and her. "It's a bit sudden and not to mention random."_

'_Oh… Well, I can't remember anything about my family… So I guess I want to know what it's like.' I shrugged. _

"_Hmm… I'll tell you about my brother, Ryan then." Roxanna faced me, forgetting the boxes of books that still needed to be put away. "He had dark, black hair, and green eyes, the same shade as mine. Ryan was a pretty open person, always talking, making people laugh. He did some pretty stupid things, yet he was the best big brother anybody could wish for. But he kinda kept to himself a lot…"_

'_What do you mean?' I asked, confused. 'How can he keep things to himself, and be open at the same time?'_

"_He liked to be around people, but he never really showed off or told anybody his secrets." Roxy looked around the room nervously, as if to check that nobody else was in the room but us. "He never even told our family about __**that**__, we had to find out by ourselves… And it wasn't until a lot later that we finally noticed-"_

'_Um, would you mind if I asked you what__** that **__was?' I interrupted her. My curiosity always got the best of me._

_She seemed extra jumpy now, and bent down to pick up a book. "Yes, I mind a lot. Is it ok if I keep that to myself for the time being? You know, until I feel like telling you about it..."_

'_Ok… I won't pressure you,' I sighed. 'But you keep a lot of secrets don't you? I mean, can't you just trust me for once?'_

_At that comment, Roxanna dropped the book she was holding onto the ground. The light thump filled the awkward silence. Then she finally spoke up. "Each secret I keep is another burden I carry every day. They weigh me down, and make me feel isolated. I don't know why I keep them anymore… Maybe it's just to make me just be able to pretend that they're not true, since I'm the only one that actually knows it." Then she went to pick the book back up, a grim smile on her face. "It's kinda pointless though, isn't it? The truth is always the truth… Even if only one person knows it."_

'_Well… I don't mind then, if you don't want to tell me, it's fine.' I turned the other way, so that she wouldn't see the guilt that filled my face. I should have never commented about our trust. It only made the situation worse... _

_It got quiet once more, and again, it was Roxy who broke the silence. _"_Well... __Here. Just look at this for now... I'm sorry that I can't tell you... It' just I-" And her voice started to crack. Then she put something on the ground lightly, and took the boxes away to a different section of the store, leaving me alone. _

_I turned around, and saw a picture lying of the floor. I kneeled down to get a closer look. It was her family picture. Two kids in the photo were making silly faces, sticking out their tongues, and doing bunny ears at each other. One girl with snow white hair. Roxy. And a boy with raven black hair. Ryan. And both of them had the same twinkling green eyes. But the faces of the parents were missing, burned away by scorch marks. The edges around the rest of the picture were burnt too, dangerously close to the two smiling kids. Now that I really looked at the photo, it looked as if it was soaked in water before too._

_It was as if the picture was being burned and all of a sudden the fire was put out by a quick dose of water. But not fast enough to stop the flames from taking away most of the image._

_I heard broken hearted sobbing coming from the other side of the room, and turned my head away from the picture. It's not easy to tell someone everything's alright, when their family or best friends aren't there to comfort and console them._

_Especially if their family's dead, and their best friend betrayed them._

* * *

Ryan. That word popped in my head the moment I caught a glimpse of the person. My heart started beating faster, and for just a moment, hope seemed to shine brighter. Maybe, just maybe, it might have been Roxy's brother. But the second I saw the guy's whole face, that glimmer vanished.

That guy was definitely not Ryan.

For one thing, his appearance. He had his hair back in a ponytail, with a black and red diamond headband around his forehead. On his ears dangled earrings that looked like dice. His eyes weren't the same exact color's as Ryan's either.

The student put some red and blue colored die on the desk in neat rows. And then he quickly took a cup he was holding in his hand and slid it across the table, successfully trapping all the die in the cup. Then the guy shook the cup, and placed it, rim to the desk. The girls surrounding him held their breath in anticipation, anxiously waiting to see the outcome of his trick. The guy slowly removed the cup, to reveal the dice neatly stacked on top of one another, the colors alternating red, blue, red, blue, and the sides matching up.

Yeah, his personality was not like Ryan's at all. He was definitely showing off, and didn't really seem to be a brother like figure at all…

Apparently this guy was a student at this school too, because he was wearing the boy's uniform of our school.

_Well… Mostly boy uniform… Roxy just had to be different and wear the guy's one, didn't she? _I sweat dropped after thinking that.

But another thought nagged at me. _Who was this guy anyway?_

The others seemed to have the same exact question.

Tristan looked over to two boys that stayed away from all the commotion. "Hey, do you know who that kid with the dice is?"

One of the boys nodded. "Yeah, he's Duke Devlin, the owner of that big new game shop that just opened up."

I felt myself growing pale. _Did he just say who I think he said? Maybe I misheard him. That's it, I misheard him, after all, that couldn't possibly be that guy's name._ "Umm… Did you say Duke Devlin?" My voice came out shakier than I wanted it to.

"Yeah." The boy nodded.

"What's the matter, Roxy?" The rest of the gang looked at me with worry. "You ok?"

"Don't worry about me!" I quickly forced a smile to hide my uneasiness. "It's nothing, really…"

That name was so familiar… Because Roxy told me about Duke before. The two of them met briefly… A long time ago.

Right after she won her title as the 'Dueling Angel'. Right after she beat Lucifer. Right before she walked home to find her adoptive father dead and their house on fire.

_Hopefully he won't recognize me, please don't look this way, please don't look this way!_ I begged silently in my head, hoping against all odds that Duke wouldn't notice me.

Joey returned back onto the topic of Duke. "If there's anything I can't stand, it's a guy that'll do anything to get a girl's attention!"

"Or maybe you're just jealous cause he's more popular than you." Tea teased.

Joey growled, a vein popping. Then he quickly smiled. "Well Tea, I could be as popular as him if I wanted to, but I'm not going to stoop down to his level! I gain my respect with hard work. Or did you forget all about how well I did in Duelist Kingdom? I came second… Which is even better than Roxy." At the last sentence, he smirked.

I glared at him, and as did Phoenix who perched on my shoulder. "Alright, but only because I fainted before the match, so don't you get all confident, you got it?"

"Sure…" Joey smirked even more. He decided it would be amusing to make fun of me for a little bit. "Or did you just chicken out and decided not to even try to beat me?"

I continued to glare at him, and opened my mouth to argue with him, when another voice came from behind me. "I don't mean to drop in on the conversation so suddenly," It was Duke. "But I overheard that you dabble in the game of Duel Monsters."

And he glanced at me for a split second, his eyes twinkling with surprise and amusement. More amusement than surprise. Then he looked back at Joey.

_Crap… He looked my way._

**

* * *

**

Author's Note:

**Ok, sorry I ended this so suddenly, but this was getting really long. And the school 'meeting' will happen in the next chapter, hopefully. Anyone care to guess what it's about? ;)**

**Oh, and I might be doing a Winter one-shot, but I might have to write it after Christmas, because it takes place after the whole Dungeon Dice Monsters… And I'm not close to finishing that yet… **

**So hope you enjoyed this chapter… And I want to thank every one of my readers, because honestly, without you, I would be too lazy to even update once a year. xD**


	28. Chapter 27 Challenge, Improvise, Unsure

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

**Chapter 27- Challenge, Improvise, Unsure**

_R_

"Pfft, dabble?" Joey scoffed, and stood up taller, as if to appear superior to Duke. "Now, if you know anything about Duel Monsters, you would know about Bandit Keith, the Intercontinental Champion. He was unbeatable, until I came along and showed him what real dueling was!" And he continued to ramble on, gloating about himself.

But Duke didn't seem the least bit impressed or interested.

Wow… Joey was being _so_ much more modest than Duke was… The rest of us sweat dropped and sighed.

_There's no way Duke can recognize me now… I mean, Roxy told me when she met him her hair was black… Now it's grey… And anyway, Roxy's eye color is different from mine… Not that anyone really notices much…Yeah, Duke probably doesn't know it's me… _I felt myself start to relax.

"Well, you're Yugi, the person who won the Duelist Kingdom and the holder of the title the King of Games, right?" Duke directed his attention down on Yugi instead of Joey. And that didn't make the blonde very happy… "I've heard a lot about your dueling."

"Um… Yeah." Yugi smiled, and replied nervously.

"Hey, dicey," Joey suddenly put his face in between Yugi and Duke, and pointed at himself. "What have you heard about me, Joey Wheeler?"

"Nothing." Duke shrugged, causing Joey to glare at the black haired boy. Then Duke looked over to me, and I started to panic again.

_Please don't recognize me, please don't recognize me! _I pleaded silently.

"You must be," Duke paused and a smile spread across his face. "Roxanna Hylkio, right? It's been a long time since we've last met."

_He recognized me… Luck must not be on my side today… _"Err… Yeah… Long time no see." I scratched my head and smiled sheepishly.

"You guys met before?" Everyone seemed shocked, but Joey must have been the most dramatic of them all. His eyes widened, and his bottom jaw dropped to the ground.

"Well, only briefly though," I explained. "Before Duelist Kingdom, I attended another tournament, and after I won that one, I went to walk home. On the way, we accidentally bumped into each other… We talked for a little bit, and then we parted ways." Technically Roxy won the tournament and met Duke, not me… And that was the shortened version of the story. Now the real thing was way more complicated… Or at least the way Roxy told me.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna ran past the alleys, and nervously looked left and right. All the streets looked the same under the dull light of the lamps that lined up on the sides of the roads. It was pretty obvious that she was lost. She had no idea where her house was.

_But the girl was stubborn, and decided to give another road a shot, and ran into the dark lane._

_That only made the situation worse, and it was getting darker by the minute. _

_The girl finally gave up, and sighed. She leaned against a wall in exhaustion._

'_No, Roxy, you can't give up now, your dad's waiting for you to get home!' Roxanna scolded herself, but quickly added. 'Technically adoptive dad.' She always made a habit of calling him 'Dad' that she forgot that he was only her adoptive father._

_So she started walking down the alley again, only to accidentally run into a person._

"_Sorry!" Roxanna apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"_

"_Nah, its fine." The person assured her, and under the dim light, she couldn't see his face. _

_But when he stepped forward, his face became clearer. Or at least his hair and eye color._

_Roxanna blinked, a little too scared to believe. "Is that you, Ryan?"_

"_Maybe you got me confused with someone else," The boy laughed, and when he stepped closer, Roxy could tell it wasn't her brother. The boy looked about her age. "My name's Duke Devlin."_

"_Oh, sorry, I thought you were… A good friend of mine." Roxanna sighed, her hopes plummeting. Then remembering that she needed to get home, she groaned. "And I'm utterly lost! I'll never get back home!"_

"_Really? Where are you supposed to go?" Duke asked._

_At that point, all the rules of not talking to strangers just disappeared from Roxy's head, and she told Duke her address._

"_Oh, um, go straight on this road, then make a left when you see another alley. Then keep going straight, and you should see the street your house is on." Duke instructed._

"_Thank you so much!" Roxanna jumped with happiness. "I would have been stuck here forever without you!"_

"_No problem," Duke shrugged. "Hey, aren't you Roxanna Hylkio? Heard you won that tournament earlier today. I was watching it from TV. You were amazing!"_

"_Yeah… Thanks a lot!" Roxanna nodded. "Well, see you around some other time, ok?"_

"_Sure." Duke nodded, and they both ran in opposite directions, both knowing that they probably would never see each other again. But before Roxanna ran too far away, she heard Duke shouting something to her. "Hey, Roxanna! You dropped something!"_

_She quickly reached into her pocket, and found that a die leftover from one of Ryan's old board games was gone. But… She had her Dark Ice Sorcerer to remind her of Ryan. She didn't need that die. Besides, Duke did seem to like dice, with his die earring… And Roxanna still needed some way to thank him. She yelled back, "It's ok, just keep it!" And she ran away._

* * *

"I heard you got third in the Duelist Kingdom, right?" Duke asked, and I nodded. "Too bad you were disqualified…"

"It doesn't really matter to me," I shrugged. "I'm just wondering, how did you recognize me?" After all, Roxy did look way different than she did when she met him…

"Oh well, a friend of mine happened to show me a picture of you, looking kinda like you do now, so…" He shrugged. "But it still took me a while to be sure it was you." Then he smiled. "Maybe we should see each other sometime after school, you know, to catch up on the years we haven't seen each other and get to know each other a little more."

"Err…" I hesitated. I didn't want to seem rude and flat out say no, but I didn't want to say yes without Roxy's permission either.

Joey stepped between me and Duke. I blinked. "Ok, my friend here is obviously not very comfortable right now deciding, so why don't you give her a bit of time to think this over?"

I sweat dropped. Joey was being a little over protective. And I am pretty sure that Roxy told me Ryan was like that to. He wouldn't let any guy except family even get near her. I wonder what he would think if he saw her right now… After all, Roxanna was hanging out with all guys, excluding Tea, Phoenix, and me… If you counted a spirit and a bird as people.

And I'm guessing all the guys would be in the hospital or sent to their graves if Ryan were still alive and saw Roxanna hanging out with them. _Gees, having brothers are so confusing…_

"Well, Joey was it?" Duke asked, his eyes glistening with mischief. I felt myself start to grow nervous. "You're a friend of Rox's right?" At this Joey nodded. "Say, why don't we play a game to get to know each other a little more?"

"Sure you name it, and I'll beat you!" Joey said confidently, and I shuffled my feet. I had a really bad feeling about this…

"It's a pretty simple game." Duke assured him, but that glint in his eye never disappeared. "The only things we really need are a cup and a die." He retrieved them from the desk he sat from before. "You sure you think you have what it takes to beat me?"

"Are you mocking me?" Joey smirked. "Course I do." _Joey's too confident…_

"Alright." Duke set the die on a table, and covered it with the cup. "Using the powers of my mind, I bet I can move the die into my right hand without touching the cup."

All of us blinked and looked confused. Could he really? _It doesn't seem like he's bluffing though… Maybe the desk is set to work a specific way… Or maybe he has the die already hidden in his sleeve?_ My head spun with the possibilities.

"And then next you're going to be telling us you can fly around the room," Joey scoffed. "Unless you have telekinesis, there's no way you could do that!"

Duke didn't even look the least bit stressed. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, maybe the die is already gone."

"What?" Joey shouted, obviously surprised. And the rest of us were too. How could he have done it?

"If you don't believe me, you can check under the cup." Duke shrugged.

"Wise guy…" Joey muttered to himself as he went to go pick up the cup.

And that's when I realized what Duke's plan was all along. I was going to warn Joey, but Yugi beat me to it.

"Joey wait, it's a trick!" Yugi yelled, but a little too late.

Joey lifted up the cup, to see the die sitting on the desk, untouched. "Hey, it's still there!"

"And I'll take that." Duke's right hand reached for the die, and grasped it in his fingers. He then held it up for the 'audience' (his group of fan girls and us) to see. "I moved it into my right hand, and I never had to touch the cup. So that means I win."

His fans, who had been watching the game, started cheering.

_That was a cheap trick… But Duke did find a way to use Joey's weakness (which is rushing into things without thinking) against him… Roxy has got to learn which people not to make friends with. Like Lucifer, who has an obsession over burning things (I am so convinced he's the one who ignites all the buildings on our street. Maybe I should convince Roxy to move?), Duke who apparently is obsessed with dice, and Kaiba, who is obsessed with technology. Is it just me or do all them have obsessions? _

Joey growled, a vein popping on his head, and pointed at Duke. "You're nothing but a fraud! Why don't we play a _real_ game? I challenge you to a game of Duel Monsters!"

I blinked. It was just a game… Why can't Joey just let it go? _He needs to know when his hurt pride doesn't really matter…_

Duke started twirling a piece of his hair in between his fingers, and seemed to be in deep thought. Then he replied. "As you wish… But, I have one small condition." Then he paused dramatically, and all of us wondered what he had in mind. "I'm afraid I don't have a deck of my own." As soon as he said that, his group of fans started complaining about things being unfair towards Duke.

"That's not my problem," Joey shrugged. "You're the one who has a new game shop. Go buy a pack or two."

"Well, this is where my condition comes in," Duke continued. "Is that we open up new packs and make new decks. That's fair, right?"

"There's nothing fair about that," Yugi argued. "If you open up new packs, the game will just be luck!"

"Yugi have a little faith in me," Joey shook his head, set on the challenge. "I was a finalist in the Duelist Kingdom, after all." Yugi tried to convince him, but never was able to get the words he wanted to out. Joey looked back towards Duke with confidence. "I accept your challenge!"

"Sure. Well… Playing the game just for fun seems a bit… Meaningless. Why don't we add a little excitement to the match with a bet?" Duke suggested casually. "If I win, you'll do whatever I tell you to for an entire week."

Joey didn't even seem the least bit fazed. "Fine, but if I win you're going to have to do whatever I want. And I'm going to make you close down your shop!"

After Joey's comment, Duke's fans started to erupt in complaints towards Joey, and words of encouragement to Duke.

Yugi, Tristan, Tea, and I sighed, muttering to ourselves about Joey's recklessness.

"Very well," Duke nodded, that look of mischief back in his eyes. "The match will be after school, at my game shop. And if your friends want to come watch us duel, they're welcome to come." With that, he walked back to his desk, and the bell for class to start rung.

The gang exchanged glances before we ran to our class.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

R told me about Duke, so I wasn't as surprised when I saw him again. But I was surprised when he came up to me, and told me something.

"Hey, Roxanna!" He ran over to me. "My teacher told me that you could show me around the school today."

"Really?" I blinked. Why would his teacher do that? I mean, I just stayed at Domino High for a few days… I think this is my second day here… So I'm not much of expert on the school.

"You just need to tell me where… This class is." Duke pointed at something on his schedule.

"Oh, keep going down this hall," I pointed in the direction. "Then turn right, and you'll see the class towards your left."

"Thanks." Duke smiled and was about to walk off when he stopped. "Huh, what a coincidence… Last time we met, I gave you directions. This time it's the other way around."

Then he walked down the hall.

I stood there, and blinked. Then I remembered I needed to get to my other class, and groaned. _I'm gonna be late again…_

* * *

It was lunchtime, and I picked at my food. I wasn't that hungry today…

On the other hand, Joey and Tristan were wolfing down their food. They quickly finished their lunches, and looked hungrily at mine.

"Here." I shoved my food in between the two boys. "I'm not really hungry."

The two didn't even hesitate. They grabbed anything from my lunch they could get their hands on. I sweat dropped. It was like their stomachs could never get full.

"Oh, remember that meeting I told you guys about?" Tea asked. Me and Yugi nodded, while Joey and Tristan continued to eat. "It's after lunch, so we'll miss this class." She pointed at her schedule. I quickly dug out mine too.

A smirk found its way to my face. I cheered. "Yes! I get to miss math class!"

"Do you really hate that class that much?" Yugi sweat dropped. "I mean you play Duel Monsters, so you're math can't be that bad…" Yeah, you would think so, with all the adding and subtraction the game involves…

"I'm failing that class…" I sighed. "I don't get any of those fancy symbols, equations, and words…"

"I somehow manage to do better than you in that class." Joey looked smug.

"Only by one percent in the average!" I argued. "And anyway, I'm way better than you in some other classes!"

And that started our usual bickering. The others watched with sweat drops as they slowly ate their lunches.

_

* * *

_

Yugi

Everyone in our grade headed to the auditorium.

All the students settled into the rows of seats. Roxanna sat in between Joey and me. To my right sat Tea, and to Joey's left sat Tristan.

Roxy looked around nervously. "Hey guys, have any of you seen Phoenix?"

"Now that you mention it… I haven't seen her since we saw Duke." I recalled. "Don't worry though, I'm sure she'll turn up."

Roxy nodded. "Probably…"

A voice came from the loudspeakers, and all the talking from the other students stopped. "**Ok, I would like to thank all of you for coming to this meeting. Our school is going to hold a play soon.**" After the last sentence was uttered, the whole auditorium burst into conversation. But the voice started speaking, and everything returned quiet. "**We'll be holding a small 'audition' today. People will come to the stage in pairs, and will have to improvise to create a small scene. I'll be giving the scene, and the two will have to act it out. Oh, and I forgot. The pairs will be chosen at random.**" The voice paused, but nobody spoke a word. "**Alright then… The first pair up will be… Duke Devlin,**"

A bunch of girls started to cheer when his name was called. Joey just growled.

"**And…**" The voice ignored the giggling girls. "**Roxanna Hylkio.**"

The girls stopped cheering, and went onto complaining and glaring at Roxanna.

Roxy sighed, looking bored and a little nervous at the same time. "Hey, Yugi, hold onto this for me until I get back, ok?" She quickly took off her Hourglass, and handed it to me before I could agree or protest.

She got up, and ran up to the stage, and as did Duke.

The two stood on opposite sides of the stage waiting for instructions.

"**Ok, so the scene is that Roxanna lost something important to her, and Duke's going to have to help her find it… So, just start when the two of you are ready.**"

Roxanna took a deep breath, and shut her eyes. When she opened her eyes, the boredom disappeared from them. They were replaced with agitation and worry. She ran over to Duke, panting. When she was near him, she stopped, and bent over, putting her hands on her knees, and looked down at the floor. She gasped for air as if she'd been running for hours.

"You ok, Roxy?" Duke asked, his voice full of worry.

"I am, but…" Roxanna's voice was shaky, almost like she had been crying. "I lost my bird, Phoenix… And now I can't find her anywhere…"

"Really?" Duke looked around the stage, and a smile formed on his face. "Is that her over there?" He motioned towards a direction.

Roxy looked up, her eyes a bit teary, but when she saw Phoenix perched on a chair in the audience, she blinked away the tears, and smiled. Not a fake one, but not a real one either. That smile seemed even livelier than the real ones she occasionally had. "Phoenix!"

The bird chirped, and flew onto Roxy's shoulder.

"Thank you so much!" Roxy's smile only grew wider. And she seemed to hesitate before doing it, but in the end, she gave Duke a light hug. Of course Duke's fans started glaring at Roxy for that.

"**Thank you, that's good enough, the both of you can return to your seats.**"

Immediately, Roxanna's mood dropped. She frowned, and started walking back to us.

She seemed so much more… Alive while up on stage. Even though she was worried about Phoenix before, she wasn't nearly as upset as she was while acting. I'm pretty sure the entire gang was surprised at how different she was while acting than how she usually was.

Roxanna sighed, and slipped into her seat. She looked a bit uncomfortable. "Yugi, can I have my Hourglass back?" I nodded, and handed it to her. She slipped it back on, and turned to look at me. "I feel a bit sick… I'll come back in a sec, ok?"

"Sure, do you need me to take you to the nurse?" I asked. She did look pale.

"Nah, I'll just go up to the roof and get some fresh air." Roxanna shook her head, and ran out of the room in a hurry. Her bird followed after her.

I saw something shining near my foot. I bent down to pick it up, and my eyes widened.

_Did Roxy drop this?_

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

I sighed as I felt the cool wind blow on my face. My grey hair drifted into the wind, and I tried to calm myself down.

_Acting… The reason I can't do it anymore… It takes too much energy out of me. Especially if I have to act happy. I'm just lucky I didn't throw up. Now if I acted the same thing a long time ago, I wouldn't have this problem…_

'_Why didn't you wear the Hourglass while you went up there?' _R asked, and she sat down next to me, in spirit form.

"'Cause, I didn't want you to suddenly start acting in my place, even if I needed to," I shrugged. "I prefer to do things on my own. I mean, I'm already letting you do most of my dueling."

'_You're so stubborn when you want to be, you know?'_ R laughed. _'You can't act in the play if you can't take even a few seconds being happy. So why did you do your best anyway? If you didn't try, you wouldn't have to be in the play.'_

"I dunno… Whenever I'm on a stage or acting in front of an audience, I feel more energetic, and I just act automatically…" I sighed and shut my eyes. "Acting is something really amazing you know… You can pretend almost anything is possible. Sometimes, I did that in the orphanage, just to pretend for a few minutes I actually had a family."

'_But you do know that you acting that out you're only lying to yourself, right?' _R looked over to me, and I could tell she was worrying about me.

"Yeah…" I opened my eyes. "But… If lying to me can make me escape my reality for just a few seconds even… It makes me feel better."

Phoenix let out a mournful chirp, and the wind stopped for a moment.

"Who knows…" A smile found its way to my face. "If I can actually make it into the play and have to act out a happy character… I might just stay happy, or at least for those scenes…"

The wind picked up again.

"Those few scenes will be good enough for me."

'_If you say so…' _R didn't seem convinced, but she didn't argue with me. _'But I want to ask you something…'_

"Shoot away." I replied.

'_If you had a chance to either save your friends, and I'm not talking about Lucifer, or your family from dying, who would you choose?' _R asked, and I froze.

"Why do you ask?" I laughed nervously. "It's a pretty weird question… Not to mention random."

'_Just answer it already.' _R pressed.

"I… I can't decide…" I admitted. "What's the point of the question, anyway?"

'_Well… That means that you can't decide whether you should hold onto the past or move forward…' _R said thoughtfully. _'If you had chosen your family, then it shows that you can't put your past behind you. If you chose your friends that means you're ready to move ahead in life.'_

"That's not a very accurate way to see how I'm thinking…" I muttered.

'_Well, I think it is…'_ R smiled sadly. _'That's how you feel right now. Lost, alone, unsure of what to do most of the time.' _Then she stretched, and let out a yawn. '_I'm tired… Can we go home yet?'_

I gave R an annoyed look. Leave it to her to be able to change the topic so easily. "We still have to go to see Joey and Duke duel, remember?"

'_But I'm so tired!' _R whined. _'Can't we just not go?'_

_I swear sometimes she's so childish… But she was able to understand exactly how I was thinking with only one question… Or maybe it's just that she knows me so well…_

_No. She couldn't have…_

_If she asked me the same question a few weeks ago, I would have easily replied my family._

"Well, I'm going back to meet up with the others." I stood up, and stretched. "They must be real worried about me…" And I stuffed my hands in my pockets, and realized I was missing something. My eyes widened, and I started panicking.

_Don't tell me I lost that of all things!_

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Like I mentioned before, the acting plays a pretty big role in season 4. **

**I kind of spent this one chapter developing Roxanna's character, and showing a few differences from her acting to her normally. Sorry if this chapter ended up boring.**

**Well, I'm getting closer to finishing the series… Hope you enjoyed.**

**I'm just starting to wonder, but do any of my characters seem too perfect or unrealistic? Let me know if they do.**


	29. Chapter 28 Duel and Dusk

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

**Chapter 28- Duel and Dusk**

_Roxanna_

I trudged back towards the auditorium, not looking very happy.

R kept on pestering me about what I had lost, and I was too ashamed to tell her what it was. I mean of all the things I would ever lose, it had to be that!

I slowly pushed open the doors, to find all the students in the auditorium talking amongst themselves. Maybe they finished with the auditions already?

I sat down back in my seat, to find Joey and Tristan fighting with each other, Tea looking annoyed as she watched the two fight, and Yugi sitting back with a sweat drop on his face.

"Hey." I said glumly. The others immediately noticed my bad mood. Joey and Tristan even stopped fighting. "… You know, I'm such a horrible person. I mean, I lost **that**!" I buried my face in my hands out of frustration. "It was the only I had left, and I just had to drop it somewhere!"

"Hey Roxy," Yugi said quietly, and I lifted my head up. "Is this what you're looking for?" And there it was. In his hand. He held it out to me, and I nimbly took it.

"Yeah…" I looked down at the thing I was so worried about. "I can't thank you enough for finding this…"

"You don't need to thank me. I just saw it on the floor, after you went to the roof." Yugi shook his head.

_I'm so clumsy! Must have dropped it when I ran out of here… I need to take better care of this…_

"You seemed way more worried and thankful on stage…" Joey pointed out, and all I could do was glare. It was true. But…

"I was way too dramatic on stage." I finally said. _Liar. I'm just too neutral in real life. An empty shell of my former self. That' all I am anymore… But up on stage… That's as close as I can get to actually feel like my real self._

"What are you holding anyway?" Joey asked, and before I could respond, he grabbed it from my hands, and stood up, examining it.

"Hey, give that back!" I yelled, and tried to reach for it, but Joey held it up high, away from my reach. _Ugh, why do I have to be so short?_

"A family picture?" Joey blinked. "That's what you were fussing over?"

"Not just any family picture," I jumped and finally grabbed it away from Joey. "The only photo I have of my entire family that's completely intact." Then I looked back towards it, and a sad smile formed on my face. "Well… Mostly intact."

I held the picture out for the gang to see, and they all gathered around it.

It was a picture of my family. Ryan and I stood at the front, and we were grinning. This was one of the only photos that the two of us didn't make any silly faces or weren't fighting. In this picture, I was taller than Ryan.

Our parents stood behind us, smiling. My mom looked like me, but with brown eyes. And my dad looked like Ryan, but with blue eyes. And they towered above us.

Most of the picture was in perfect condition, but the upper right corner was slightly singed.

"So, that's you… Ryan. Your mom. And your dad?" Tea pointed at each face, and I nodded. "You're brother's older than you right?"

"Yeah, by two years." I nodded.

"And he's shorter than you?" Tea asked.

"Yep," This time I looked smug. Me and Ryan always argued about our heights, like who was taller, but I ended up being an inch taller than him anyway. And I was proud of it. "By a whole inch." The rest of the gang sweat dropped.

"Your parents are really tall…" Tristan observed. "Yet you and your brother are midgets?"

"Hey!" I pouted. "Don't insult my height!" Tristan smiled apologetically. But it was true. My mom was 5'8, and my dad was 6'2. And I am not even going to mention how short me and Ryan were.

"How'd this get burned?" Joey asked, pointing to corner.

My smile disappeared. "Lucifer." When he burned the house, most of the pictures just turned into ash. This one was probably the least damaged photo I have.

"Oh…"

We stayed silent for a little bit, staring at the picture. But then Yugi pointed something out to me that I had never noticed before even though I had studied this picture for years. "Hey, Roxy, what's that?"

I blinked, and looked at the spot that he pointed to. And my blood ran cold. There, just near the scorched corner, was a tiniest gleam of yellow. I knew that shade of gold… And just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine. Why would it be..?

I forced myself to look away from the picture. If I kept staring at it, I'd only get nightmares when I'm going to sleep today.

"I…I don't know." I stammered, and quickly pocketed the picture. "L-Let's t-talk a-about something else, o-ok?" I practically begged them. No, I did. "P-please?"

The others seemed shocked at my sudden nervousness, but didn't comment about it.

"Hey Roxy," Yugi said, obviously trying to change the subject. "Do you think your brother's still out there?"

That question caught me off guard, and I blinked, trying to think of the best way to put things. "I honestly don't know anymore… I mean, it's been eight years, and still, no sign of him anywhere… Most likely, he's dead. After all, that's what the people told me. But," I smiled sadly. "I want him to still be out there… And if he is, I'll find him, somehow. But for now, I'm pretty sure that he's gone…" I didn't really want to talk about Ryan anymore. He was a pretty sensitive subject for me. "So, on a happier note, what's going to happen with the play?"

"Well, we're just waiting for them to announce who's in the play, and who's playing what part. Then they're going to hand out the scripts." Tristan explained, and as if on cue, the loudspeakers crackled.

"**The results of the audition have been decided. When you exit out the doors, if you're in the play, a teacher will hand you a script, with your character's lines highlighted. So, please, get in a single file line, and walk out the auditorium.**"

* * *

"I'm in?" I flipped through my script, scanning the lines. "I didn't really expect to get a part…"

'_Liar…'_ R snorted. '_You knew you were going to, you just didn't want to get one.' _I ignored her.

"Surprisingly we're all in." Tea corrected me.

"Yeah…" When I flipped to the last page though, I almost dropped the script. "Hold on guys, I'll be right back."

I quickly looked around, and spotted the nearest teacher. Running over to him, I held up the script. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Yes?" He turned around, and just to my luck, it was my math teacher.

"Erm… Can I quit?" I asked. "I don't really want to be in the play…"

"Why?" My teacher blinked, confused. "Are you unhappy with your role?"

"Uh…" I tried to think of a good excuse. "My character has too many siblings. It's a bit unrealistic…"

"Is that it?" He seemed unconvinced.

"Well, I just don't really want to have to hug him…" I pointed at the last line, and felt my face turning red.

"You seemed perfectly fine doing it on stage before." The teacher didn't look as if he was going to listen to me.

"But…" I racked my brain for anything that might help. "I didn't really think about it before. I don't feel comfortable doing it a second time…"

"Sorry, once you got the part, there's no turning back." My teacher shrugged. "Oh I forgot, here's some homework from the beginning of the year you missed. It should help you improve a lot." He reached into his briefcase, and pulled out a stack of papers. "It's due next week, ok?"

My eyebrow started twitching, and I felt the weight of the papers when he dropped them in my hands. _This is going to be a lot of work… Oh, isn't that just great? _"Sure… Thanks and have a nice day…" My teacher just smiled, and walked off.

_Great. I tried getting out of hugging Duke, and instead I still have to do it, AND I get an extra stack of work that's due next week. Things just always turn out the way I want, don't they?_

_Note to self: Never go up to my math teacher and ask for help. He won't help, and I'll get more homework. _

* * *

School ended, and I had changed clothes, preparing to go watch Joey and Duke duel.

Just as I was about to walk out of the shop, R appeared. '_Roxy…' _R tried to poke me. But her hand just passed through my shoulder, which I found a bit… Weird. But she is a spirit after all… '_Wow… You're not wearing your school uniform or your outfit at Duelist Kingdom!'_

"I have other clothes you know!" I laughed. It was a pretty simple outfit, a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a green jacket. But as always, the Hourglass dangled from my neck. "I just wanted to wear something different today… I'm getting bored of my same outfit." Then I quickly slung my book bag over my shoulder, and locked the store door behind me.

"Hey guys." I waved at the others as I arrived in front of Duke's game shop. And they were wearing different outfits than usual too.

"Hey!" They chorused. Surprisingly they could always say things at the same exact time.

"So," I turned to the entrance of the game shop. "You ready, Joey?"

"Of course!" He punched his fist into the air enthusiastically, and ran into the shop, half skipping, and singing. "I'm bad, you know it! I'm bad, I'll show it!"

All of us sweat dropped and sighed. Joey was just a bit too confident. I just hope that his pride won't get in his way when he dueled…

When we walked in, we were greeted by one of the employees of the shop. "You're the ones Mr. Devlin has been waiting for? Well, follow me." He led us away to another part of the huge shop, where an elevator awaited us. With a small 'ding' the elevator doors slid open, showing Duke standing in there, wearing some sort of red and black clothes. At his feet was a cardboard box of full orange Duel Monster Card packs.

All of us stepped into the elevator, and the doors shut behind us.

"If you're ready," Duke motioned towards the box. "You can go ahead and pick your packs. Choose wisely."

Joey nodded, and knelt down in front of the box, digging through the packets of cards. Occasionally, he'd open up a pack, and he would always start grinning like an idiot after he saw the contents. He must have got some pretty decent cards. Either that or he was putting up a really good act.

"So did you get any good cards?" Yugi asked.

Joey flashed him a confident smile. "Don't worry, this match is in the bag!"

But I wasn't so sure that it would be that simple… The way Duke stood there, looking so casual and confident in his own mysterious way… I had a feeling that he had something planned.

The elevator stopped, and the doors chimed open.

_

* * *

_

?Mystery Person

?

I panted, and stopped, looking behind me. _I think I lost them…_

Then I sighed, and leaned against a wall, sweat dripping from my face. _This much running can't be healthy for a person…_

The alley seemed so dark, so eerie. But it was a good temporary hiding spot.

'_Hey, are you holding out ok?'_ A persistent voice echoed in my head.

'_Not now. They might have sent someone who can see you. We have to keep you a secret for as long as possible.' _I replied silently.

Great. It seemed that everything was put against me. _Every time I say my name… They seem to find me. It's time I got another name… Dusk … That will do. _

_I still have to get on that plane and manage to keep two secrets… Not so hard right?_

"Well, break's over." I stood up, and started walking back towards the direction I was heading. But I stopped, and winced as a jolt of pain shot up my right leg. Then I kneeled onto the ground, gripping my leg. _That hit must have been worse than I thought… Gees, Dusk, pay more attention to your wounds!_

"Hey." My pursuer came out of the shadows. "Seems that you're in a bit of a predicament."

I grit my teeth, and glowered. "They only sent one of you this time? Strange, last time they chased me, it was an entire group. But you're not like the rest of them, are you?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, obviously know what I was talking about. But he decided to play dumb.

"You know what I'm talking about. The thing that gave all the others trouble." I glared. "It doesn't work on you."

"Hmm? Well, I was sent to chase after you once… Actually, just a few moments ago, I was one of the many that did. But the others have their own jobs to get taken care of, so I'm the only one here. But, I'm disappointed. I thought you would recognize me, after all, I did give you that awful blow to the leg…" He sighed. "But I guess you're not good with faces, are you? I guess I can't blame you, after all, I forgot your name already…"

My smile faded. I had this told to me before multiple times. Sigh, my horrible memory…"I don't need to remember anybody. None of them are important enough. And my name is none of your concern."

"What about that one person you're about to go visit? Is that person really that significant to you?" He smirked, his voice taunting. "Oh, I forgot. They're not a person. They would be considered a devil."

I felt my blood boil. I knew he was purposely trying to get me angry. But why? I slowly stood up and tried to keep my voice neutral. "That's none of your concern who I want to remember or not."

"Well… It is." He slowly reached into his pocket, and I did the same. "You see, I have more on the line than you ever could."

"Really?" I sneered. "Because I was about to say the same to you." I looked him in the eye. "I actually have friends."

I saw the fire of rage light in his eyes. "You don't know enough about me to conclude that."

"I know enough," This time, I was making him mad. I had found his weakness. And I was going to have fun using it against him, after all the trouble he caused me. "That look of loneliness in your eyes is pretty easy to find, if you look deep enough… You probably don't have family either, am I right?"

The way he glared at me, his clenched fists, breathing that seemed rushed, his shoulders shaking up and down, and his teeth were tightly clenched. Oh, he was definitely ticked. "So what they say is true… You can stare right into a person's soul." Yet his voice remained surprisingly calm. A little too calm. And I noticed he never answered my question.

"I wouldn't call it that." I shrugged. "It's called reading a person's emotions. Pretty simple if you practice and actually pay attention to your surroundings. But you know that's not why the rest of them failed in catching me, right?"

"I know." There was a glint of metal and our weapons clashed.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**AHHHHHH! I'm sorry! I hate keeping my person a mystery… But I have to. For now. But you are free to guess who 'Dusk' is, or his pursuer, even though I won't tell you if you're right or wrong. Grr, it looks like Dungeon Dice Monsters will take a while… Thanks for reading!**


	30. Chapter 29 Secrets and Soda

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

**Chapter 29- Secrets and Soda**

'_Dusk' or ?Mystery Person?_

I fell to the floor in exhaustion. _Finally… Outran him. I have to admit… I never thought I'd see anger like his… It's like he didn't have any limit to his rage… But in the end, it was his fury that blinded him and let me be able to escape. Heh, he needs some anger management classes… _

I reached into my pocket, and pulled out two things: a pendant, and a card. Specifically, a Duel Monsters Card.

"Ever since I had these two things, everybody's been after me more than ever. Logically, I should have tossed these things to a trash can or thrown them into a fire a long time ago. But," I smile edged onto my face. "Just because they want these things so badly means that they must be important. I'm keeping them for now."

'_Mm, hmm…'_ That voice again. '_Where are we going next?'_

'_And you've been nothing but trouble ever since I found you.' _I mumbled. '_If you really want to know, wait until we actually get on the plane, and then we arrive at our destination.'_

'_You travel so much…' _He sighed. '_But what about the people on the plane? You know innocent people shouldn't be around, just in case they find you again.'_

'_Remember,' _I smirked. '_I can always persuade them to wait until the next flight if I have to.'_

'_Gees, you are just so full of yourself.' _He scoffed._ 'What if you meet one of __**those**__ people? You can't do anything then.'_

I stood up, and adjusted my hat. '_I've only seen two people who have ever been like that. One is- You know. And the other one is…' _I stopped mid- sentence. I wasn't going to talk about that again.

'_Yeah, I get the idea…'_ Even the voice could tell how uneasy I was. _'Those two, huh? What do you think makes them that special?'_

'_I dunno.' _I shrugged.

'_There's a lot of things you don't know.'_ The voice said. I ignored his comment.

"Ok, I think it's time we get to the airport," I stretched. "After all, it'll take a long time to get there…"

Gone to so many airports, subways, train stations, and stole so many vehicles… All so I could run away from those people.

I hope that it was worth all the effort.

'_Sorry. Coal eyed.' _The voice informed me, and I groaned.

"You know, I should have just left you back there in the deserts!" I blinked, and sure enough, my head felt less strained. "Learn to mind your own business!"

'_Jump rope.'_ He all of a sudden blurted.

A picture flashed into my mind, and I blushed, embarrassed. '_Please, stay out of my head…'_

'_It's not my fault…' _The voice mumbled. '_Your memories are so… Interesting and soothing. I couldn't help but look through them a bit.'_

"Soothing?" I growled, and felt him shrinking back, both scared and ashamed. "There's nothing soothing about any of them!" And I tried to calm myself down. _Gees, Dusk, way to take all your anger out on him… Maybe you're the one who needs anger management…_ "Sorry. I know you don't really belong out here… But why do they seem… Comforting?"

'_I told you before, my own memories are filled with pain. So much agonizing pain…' _He sighed. '_Some of your memories seem so much happier than what I had to go through…'_

It made me wonder what sort of secrets he hid from me.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

_Great… Of all the people to be here other than us. _I sighed, as I watched three of Duke's fans jumping up and down, waving their pom-poms around in the air, cheering for their idol. They wore yellow t-shirts with pink sashes across them, and white skirts.

They stood to the side of a Duel Monster's arena, that was lit up with bright lights. For some reason, there were video cameras on the sides of the arena.

"Why are there TV cameras?" Joey blinked, clearly confused.

"Well, I have a theory, that the bigger the audience, the better the performance." Duke replied. "That's why I've decided to broadcast this match to the entire world. I'm sure my fans will enjoy watching me defeat the second best duelist. I just hope you're really second best, not second rate."

"Second rate?" Joey glared. "When I'm through with you, you're going to need a second life!"

The cheerleaders started to complain and fake crying over Joey's threat. "Don't worry," Duke assured them. "I'm not going to disappoint my loyal fans."

And then the girls stared at Duke with hearts in their eyes, waving their pom-poms around as they started another cheer. I sighed once more.

"Stop stalling so we can duel already!" Joey tapped his foot impatiently, and ran over to one side of the arena, putting his deck in place.

Duke strolled to the other side of the dueling platform, while waving to the cheering girls.

And I sat down on the floor, and opened up my back pack.

Tristan blinked. "What are you doing? You should be cheering for Joey right now."

"I would, but-" I pulled out a large stack of papers. "-I've got homework. And it's due next week."

Tristan, Tea, and Yugi exchanged looks, before saying in unison. "You asked the math teacher for help?"

It was my turn to blink. "How do you know?"

"That's what he does to everyone that asks him a question," Yugi explained. "He gives you homework."

"Why do you think nobody really asks any questions in math?" Tea asked. _I never really noticed that…_

"But, he never gives anybody **that** much work…" Tristan eyed the pile of papers warily. "That must weigh at least three pounds."

"Thanks for the encouragement." I groaned, and pulled out a pencil. I better get started… Then another idea popped into my head.

"Tristan…" I caught his attention. "Are you any good at math?"

"Err, not really…" He eyed me cautiously.

"Perfect!" I shoved the stack into his hands. "Can you just finish a few pages?"

"What's your definition of a few?" He blinked.

"Um… Fifty?" I pleaded with wide eyes.

"No." He handed me the papers back. "Your homework, you finish."

I sighed, defeated. The others turned their attention back to the duel, while I glared at my papers, hoping the answers might just pop into my head. I had no such luck.

_This is going to be a long few days…_

'_I'll describe the duel for you if you want.' _R peered over my shoulder. '_Looks like someone's a bit too busy to be paying attention to how your friend Joey's doing.'_

'_Please, just leave me alone…'_ I growled. I can't focus on anything if I had too many things on my mind. You try listening to a duel while a spirit's talking to you, and you're trying to do homework. It's not easy.

'_I summon Oni Tank T-34 in attack mode!' _I was surprised at how good R was at imitating Duke's voice. It was almost scary. '_It has 1400 attack points, by the way.'_ And she switched back to her normal tone.

I tried ignoring R's pestering, but I almost dropped my papers when I heard what she said next. _'I summon Sword Hunter in attack mode!' _If I thought her Duke voice was scary, the Joey imitation was 100 times more chilling, just because it sounded so like him.

'_Ok, I'll watch the duel, just stop doing those creepy imitations!' _I pushed my papers aside, and stood up. So much for doing homework. R whistled innocently, before fading away. _I don't think I'll ever look at Joey or Duke the same again…_

"Not doing your homework?" Yugi blinked. "Was the duel too distracting?"

I sighed. "You don't know the half of it." Then I finally focused on the duel, just in time to see Joey's monster with 2450 attack points destroy Duke's Oni Tank, causing Dukes Life Points to drop.

**(Joey LP-2000 /Duke LP-950)**

"Now, my monster's special ability activates. For every monster Sword Hunter destroys, he gets an extra 200 attack points!" Joey smirked, as his monster's attack rose from 2450 to 2650. The cheerleaders started whimpering, scared that Duke might lose.

And I wasn't feeling so good. To tell you the truth, I was feeling sick to the stomach. Every time Joey said something, R mimicking his voice popped up in my head. Trust me, it wasn't the best thought in the world.

I reached into my back pack, and pulled out a can of soda. After I opened it using the tab at the top, I took a large gulp, immediately feeling better.

"What's with the soda?" Tea asked.

"Soda helps clear my head." Then I saw her ready to ask another question, probably: Clear your head of what? "You don't want to know." And we let the subject drop.

Duke didn't even seem the least bit fazed. "I'll play Dark Bat in defense mode, and set one card face down. That should end my turn." A black bat appeared on Duke's field. **(1000 DEF)**

"If that's the best you can do, I'll beat you in no time!" Joey looked back at his hand of cards, before he played one. "I summon Mad Sword Beast in attack mode!" **(1400 ATK) **The rhinoceros –like monster kicked up some dust, before charging at Duke's bat. The rhino's metallic horn rammed right into the bat, sending the bat flying. Then the bat disappeared, beaten.

"Well, it doesn't really matter," Duke shrugged. "After all, my bat was in defense mode."

"But that's where you're wrong," Joey shook his head with a confident smile on his face. "My Mad Sword Beast makes it so that you still lose Life Points, even if you're monsters are in defense mode."

"What?" Duke looked astonished, as his Life Points dropped.

**(Joey LP- 2000 /Duke LP- 550)**

Joey looked as if he had the duel won, but Duke's next move brought him back to reality. "Well, my bat isn't going to be going off to the Graveyard alone, thanks to my Michizure trap card." He flipped the card he placed over. "It allows me to destroy one monster on the field, when one of mine is sent to the Graveyard. And I choose your Sword Hunter!"

Joey watched helplessly as his strongest monster on the field was squeezed into nothingness by a pair of huge gnarly hands.

But Duke wasn't done his turn yet. He put another card face down on the field, and played Spikebot in attack mode. **(1800 ATK) **Duke's monster destroyed Joey's Mad Sword Beast.

**(Joey LP- 1600 / Duke LP- 550)**

Joey only frowned. But he still didn't look really worried, and the rest of us tried to tell him to focus. But it was like he was off in his own little world. The blonde drew a card, and his frown turned into a huge grin. He slammed down his newly drawn card. "Goblin Attack Force!" **(2300 ATK)** A group of green goblins wielding clubs and dressed like cave men appeared on the field, and destroyed Duke's Spikebot. After the attack, Joey's monster went into defense mode. **(0 DEF)**

**(Joey LP- 1600 / Duke LP- 50)**

Duke's cheerleaders hugged each other, whimpering.

But even with defeat just one turn away, Duke looked calm. A little too calm.

Yugi noticed this too, and tried to get Joey's attention to tell him to be careful. But Joey was off in his own little world, chuckling about whatever happy thoughts he was having.

Me and Yugi face palmed while Tristan and Tea sighed.

"You can laugh all you want right now," Duke smirked. "But once I summon this, you're going to lose!" Duke slammed down his card. "My most powerful card, Gradius!" **(ATK 1400) **A huge space ship like vehicle appeared on the field. "And I add the magic card, Limiter Removal, which double's my monster's attack points!" **(2400 ATK)**

Joey's eyes widened in shock, but then he relaxed. "My goblins are in defense mode, so your monster won't do any damage to my life points!"

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong," Duke played another card on the field. "I play the magic card, Fairy Meteor Crush! This card makes you still take damage, even if your monsters are in defense mode!"

Joey's monster: **0 DEF **Duke's Monster: **2400 ATK**

Joey looked panicked now. "No!"

"Alright, Gradius, destroy his goblins and his remaining Life Points!" The jet flew, tackling all of Joey's goblins. And down went Joey's life points.

**(Joey LP- 0 / Duke LP- 50)**

The cheerleaders immediately brightened, and started jumping up and down, while chanting about Duke's win.

I blinked in disbelief. _Joey almost won that thing, and Duke easily turned things around. Duke must have made that condition for using new decks to throw Joey off. Maybe if Joey used his normal deck, then it would have turned out different. But still, if he was a bit less full of himself and more careful, that would have helped too…_

I almost forgot about the bet. _Since Joey lost that means that he'll have to do anything Duke says for a whole week…_

Both Duelists made their way from the platform to the sides where the rest of us stood.

Yugi walked over to Joey, trying to comfort him. "You did your best, and that's all that matters."

I set my soda on the floor, and remained silent. Only R knew how I was feeling right now, and she was wise enough to not comment.

Duke snapped his fingers, and one of the cheerleaders walked up to Joey, holding up a yellow dog suit with a few brown spots in random spots. "Put it on." The cheerleader said, while handing him the costume.

"Well, Joey I hope you're a man of your word." Duke smirked. "I'm hoping to have an obedient dog for the next week."

Joey sighed, and hung his head down.

"Duke, knock it off! Just cause you won doesn't mean you can treat Joey like that!" Yugi protested, trying to stand up for Joey.

"Yugi, I made a deal with him, and I have to keep it." Joey shook his head. And a small white die all of a sudden struck him smack in the fore head. Joey gripped his head, and yelped in pain.

The others simultaneously asked, "Are you ok?"

I still remained deathly quiet.

"You're not supposed to speak unless your master says so. And dogs don't say 'ouch'. They say 'woof, woof'." Duke tossed a die into the air and caught it. "Now put on the suit and bark for me."

Joey growled, before he put the costume on over his clothes. Then he got onto the floor on all fours, and raised his head up. "Woof, woof."

Everyone looked away, and I couldn't take it anymore. My anger just exploded. And R didn't even try and hold me back.

"You cold hearted jerk!" I raised my fist to charge at Duke, with my head down. But the second I looked up, I stopped in mid swing.

My mind was playing trick on me. Duke's face was replaced with Ryan's. Even though I knew it wasn't him, I faltered. I just couldn't bring myself to punch him. Not when I saw my brother's face instead.

My punch slowed, and Duke easily caught my fist with one of his hands.

I looked to the floor, and started crying. My shoulders shook up and down, and I just let my tears fall. _Why couldn't Duke resemble anybody else? He just had to have some of the same features as Ryan._

And that's when R couldn't watch me suffer any longer.

_

* * *

_

R

The tears disappeared, and I jumped back, glaring it Duke.

Now, I wasn't as good as Roxy when it came to name calling. But I was just as angry.

I slowly backed up to the others, trying to calm myself down. But my rage didn't subside. I was just about to raise my own fist, to give Duke a good blow to the face. After all, I didn't have to worry about hesitating.

But Joey stopped me. "Don't, Rox. I made that promise, and I'm keeping it."

Another dice flew at Joey's head, and the blonde yelped once more.

Duke glared at Joey. "I said, don't talk unless I tell you to!"

Now, if Joey hadn't told me not to, I would have beat Duke up. But I refrained, and just let my fist fall to my sides while I glared at Duke.

But somebody else took action. Yugi's puzzle glowed, and Yami switched places with Yugi. "How dare you do that to one of my friends! I challenge you to a duel, and if I win, you'll have to make Joey a free person again."

Duke seemed a bit surprised at first, but then a smirk found its way to his face. "Alright, we'll play a game of my choosing though, Dungeon Dice Monsters. And if I win, then you'll give me the title 'King of Games' and you have to swear on your Grandfather's life that you'll never play Duel Monsters again!"

I was about to protest, saying that Yami didn't know anything about that game, and the stakes were getting out of hand. But the look on his face told me that he wasn't going to back down.

"Yugi, you can't do that just for me!" Joey objected.

Duke sent another die straight at Joey, but Yami caught it before the die could hit Joey.

I sighed, a little relieved. It was fast thinking. I reached for the can of soda that Roxy set on the floor earlier, and took a large sip. Maybe soda could calm me down a little…

"Well, I have another thing to put on the line," Duke said. "The winner also gets either a date, or a kiss from Roxy."

My eyes grew wide and I started choking on my drink. "WHAT?"

Now I wish I hadn't switched with Roxy.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Poor R, she chose a wrong time to appear… And xyugiohluvrx, sorry if I kinda stole your idea for putting a date on the line… -_- Anyway, thanks for reading.**


	31. Chapter 30 Desicion and Outrage

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

**Chapter 30- Decision and Outrage**

_R_

I just stood there dumbly, blinking for a good minute. My brain seemed unable to process the information, until I sat down onto the floor.

"Ok, this is all in your head, all a dream…" I murmured. "And in all my dreams, I wake up after getting hurt in some form or another…" And I banged my forehead onto the ground, only to sit back up in pain. While everybody sweat dropped or face palmed, I let out a yelp. "Ouch! Definitely not a dream!" I grudgingly stood back up, still clutching my aching head.

"Well, Yugi, you still haven't answered my question." Duke tried to ignore what I had done a few moments ago. That comment seemed to make everybody turn their attention back towards the challenge and the bet, much to my relief.

"I can't accept those sort of conditions. You can't just play with my friends lives like that!" Yami glared. "I refuse."

"Well, if you refuse, then you're going to lose everything anyway, without even a fight," Duke smiled wryly. "So you want to just let your title, your favorite game, your friend's freedom, and your 'friend' just all belong to me, just like that?" He made air quotes when he said friend.

Yami seemed pretty torn. He didn't want to put his friends on the line like that, but still, if he refused, it would be just like losing…

I glared at Duke, a string of not so nice words were tempted to come out of my mouth. But I refrained from speaking them by biting my lip. _You know, it would be much easier to just let Roxy deal with this situation… But, I have a feeling she might commit murder once she found out what Duke said… And with this whole thing being broadcasted to the whole world, it might not be the best thing to do… I don't want to end up in a jail cell with her._

"I don't mind, Yugi," I managed. _But Roxy would. A lot. _"Just win."

"You sure?" Yami asked. "I mean, putting something like that on the line… What if I lose?"

I shook my head. "I don't want to hear 'what if's! You're gonna win, and that's that. Now go out there and make all of us proud." **(xD)**I gave him a light push from the back, sending him staggering forward a few inches. Yami blinked a little out of surprise and confusion. After he recovered, he looked back at Duke, still trying to decide.

In the end, he gritted his teeth, and went to stare defiantly at Duke. "Fine, I agree to your ridiculous terms."

Duke smirked, looking even more pleased than when Yami had declined. "I don't know whether to congratulate you for being so brave and loyal to your friends or to sigh about your stupidity for rushing into a challenge for a game without even knowing any of the rules yet."

I felt my anger starting to radiate off of me. _He did not just call Yami stupid!_

But Yami didn't really seem that fazed. "I'm doing this for my friends. And they give me the confidence to win. I don't doubt myself in the least bit."

Duke's confidence faltered a bit as he scowled. He had failed in his attempt at getting Yami to be nervous. "Fine, let's start the match already!"

I blinked and face palmed. I forgot one little thing… Not really little, a pretty huge deal. Either way, if one of them wins, I'd have to go on a date or give a kiss to one of them… At the thought, I turned bright crimson.

_Seriously, what did I get myself into this time?_

Frustrated, I let out a groan.

* * *

'_Dusk'_

'_Why are we going to leave this country again?'_ The voice complained.

'_Got an invite.' _I replied. '_I don't know how this person found me, but she wants to talk to me… About this.' _I pointed to the card I held in my hand.

'_Do you even know her name?' _He asked. I remained silent. '_You don't know, do you?'_

'_Actually, I do…' _I shook my head. '_But she requested that I don't speak her name.'_

'_You're not talking right now, are you? It's telepathy… Ish.' _He insisted.

'_Well, you're the one who keeps telling me that someone might be able to see you… So if they can see you, they can probably hear you.' _I smirked. Oh, it was so much fun using his words against him. He pouted.

'_Please?' _He begged. '_Pretty please with a cherry on top? I'll even toss in some sprinkles! Come on, I'll beg on my knees if I have to!'_

'… _Fine.' _I smiled lighty. He was so much more childish than at first glance. Almost like a younger brother.

'_Ishizu Ishtar.'_

'_Excuse me?' _He seemed shocked. No, more than surprise. There was a hint of fear, pain, and hatred. '_Did you say Isis?'_

'_Err… No, I said Ishizu… You sure you're ok?' _I said worriedly.

'_No, it's fine… I think I have déjà vu…' _He shook his head. _'Please, never say her name again… It brings up a few memories I don't want to remember…'_

'_Did that Isis girl give you any trouble before?' _I asked.

'_I told you not to say her name! And no she didn't… It's just about the Inferno's Curse-' _He stopped. '_Can I please not talk about it? Please?'_

I winced. Our bond wasn't that strong, but I felt a jolt of pain. His pain. And a picture popped into my head. Not a very pleasant one. But the thing that surprised me the most about what I saw was…

'_Say, do you have any happy memories?' _I asked.

'_A few…'_ The voice sounded reluctant and unsure.

'_Can you show me one?' _This time I was the one pleading.

'_Why? You have plenty more than I do…'_ He asked, confused.

'_Your memories… When I look at them, they're so full of life… Full of color…' _I murmured.

'_Ah, I forgot… You're colorblind. Wait, you are?'_ He blinked. '_Since when? Did it happen after that one person bashed you in the head a few days ago?'_

'_That's none of your business.' _I glared.

'_But before I show you one, I have a question for you.' _He let the subject drop. '_Your pursuer said that you were going to visit someone. I have a feeling it isn't Ishizu. So who is it?'_

"Actually… I'm visiting a few people…" I whispered, my voice barely audible. "They're really important to me…"

'_Ah… Them.' _He nodded, understanding. '_Alright, you answered my question, and I'll fulfill my end of the bargain.'_

We walked past a store with a bunch of huge TV's in the display window.

'_Wait, before I show you… Look! It's the King of Games.'_ After he said that, I blinked, and looked over to the televisions.

A smirk played its way to my lips. "That's the King of Games? Well, things are getting interesting, eh? He's challenging the Master of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Oh, I'm going to enjoy watching this."

'_So the memory's going to wait?'_

"Oh yeah, it can wait. To think, the King of Games is that kid… I wish I could have won Duelist Kingdom." I murmured, and then blinked in surprise. I rubbed my eyes. _No, it couldn't be…_ "I think I might be going blind too… My eyes are playing tricks on me."

'_Hmm? Well, I'm going to keep a look out, just in case some of those creeps come back, ok?' _He ignored my frustration.

"Wait… I'm not going blind!" At first, it was pure surprise, and a hint of happiness. But then I felt my blood boiling, and all those other emotions disappeared. "The King of Games… Yugi Mutou… You are dead when I get my hands on you! You and your friends!"

'_Gees, what did he do to tick you off?'_ He groaned. It wasn't the first time I had gotten angry at a person so quickly. '_What, did he insult your name or something?'_

"No. He messed with me in the worst manner possible…" I growled. "And that is unforgivable!"

People that passed by me glanced at me as if I were some sort of mad person. Not that most of them could see who I was talking to. It probably looked like I was ranting to myself about killing someone, so I don't blame them. '_Uh oh… I'm guessing you found one of them just now… Now, that's surprising! And I'm guessing he knows 'em too?' _He asked cautiously. Oh he knew that when someone messed with me like that, I get really irritable.

"Yeah you nailed it. Forget about watching him face off against Duke, I've got to get to that airport as fast as I can!" I speeded off towards the right direction as fast as I could. He grudgingly followed behind me, muttering 'Your pride is going to be your downfall.'

"And secrecy yours." I countered. He remained deathly quiet after that.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**O.O AH! Yugi, run, run, run as fast as you can! 'Dusk' is after you, for something you don't even know about! Poor little guy… What did he do to upset 'Dusk' that much anyway?**

**Oh and I'm warning you guys, I'm only going to be summarizing the actual Dungeon Dice Monsters game. Because I'm too lazy… ;) Thanks for reading. And I apologize for the chapter being so short. Haha, and another big thanks to all my readers. I'll admit, I never really thought my writing was that good... And I looked back at my first chapter, and I did an anime fall at how bad it was compared to how I write now. xD And another little secret. I didn't intend for Lucifer and Roxanna to be enemies in the beginning, only rivals. But, I come up with random ideas as I write. Which shows you how messed up I really am. xD **


	32. Chapter 31 Dice and Skate

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

**(By the way, if you would like a better idea of what the Dungeon Dice Monster's field looks like, you could search up Yugioh episode 47. I tried my best to describe it…)**

**Chapter 31- Dice and Skate**

_R_

I banged my head on the railing on the side of the arena. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, me!_ I couldn't even feel the pain anymore. I was too busy beating myself up for my very dumb decision to switch with Roxanna.

"Err, are you ok?" Tristan asked.

"I'm just peachy." I groaned. "Who wouldn't be, in my position?" And I beat my head against the railing once more. The others gave me sympathetic looks.

Then I saw the pile of homework that lay forgotten on the floor near my left foot. I blinked. Roxy must have forgotten about it in all of the commotion… I simply kicked the papers aside. Homework was the least of my troubles.

I looked up towards the two guys who were about to start the match of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Duke walked to his side of field, and Yami went to the other side.

Then Duke snapped his fingers, and the platform started to rumble and change. The field declined, and was replaced with a grid- like one instead. The usual mat where you would place your Duel Monster cards was changed as well. There was a grid in the middle, and to the right, there was a small rectangular screen with different symbols on it as. A type of slim rectangular slot was also on the right side. To the left of the grid was a small rectangular chute. Off to the side, there was a small laptop like machine.

Yami walked into his game space, and looked over all the machinery and parts. And to his surprise, a tray popped open at the bottom, to reveal three rows of dice. The die were in a variety of colors and had different symbols marked on them.

"Well, Yugi, are you lost already?" Duke said smugly. "Don't worry, I'll walk you through it." He pointed at his own tray. "That's your dice pool. Pick fifteen dice to use for the game."

While Duke quickly picked all of his dice, Yami took a longer time to think.

"I'd tell you what dice to pick, but you are the King of Games. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure a simple thing like that out, right?" Duke chuckled over Yami's frustration.

By now I had started to pace around nervously, fiddling around with my Hourglass. Sometimes, I'd do that when I grew nervous or angry. "Duke's such a-" I covered my mouth before the word escaped my lips. I sighed. Staying calm right now wasn't such an easy thing. I needed to put a little more trust into Yami.

Yami had picked all of his dice, and held them in his hand. "I'm ready."

"Alright," Duke nodded. "You see, these dice are going to be a little like your dueling deck. Just like you shuffle your deck, you shuffle your dice. Observe." He dropped his chosen dice into the chute. Yami did the same, and the dice being mixed up inside could be heard. Then to their right, three dice dropped in the slot.

"Seems pretty simple so far, right? Well, the dice you chose will be randomly put into groups of three. And you'll get three dice per turn. You roll all three dice, and depending on what you roll you'll make your move. But, I'll explain more about that a little later on. Now, take the three dice out of the slot," Yami did as he was instructed. "The objective of the game is to get the other opponent to lose all of their heart points. They're like Life Points, but we each only get three."

After more careful inspection of the game field, Yami and Duke both had three dull grey hearts on their side of the arena.

"Alright, since you know the basics," Duke snapped his fingers. "Game on!" The hearts started to glow with a rainbow aura-like substance inside.

I blinked. "Yugi just learned the rules! You can't just start the game already!"

But my complaints were ignored, much to my annoyance.

The cheerleaders did another cheer for Duke, and pulled Joey in at the end holding up a pompom, the blonde still in his dog costume. He gave me and the others a 'help me' look.

I mouthed 'You're a man, get yourself out of there!' But he shot me another pleading look, and I sighed. Maybe I'd help him a little later…

Duke flicked his hair away, and said in a charming manner, "Thank you ladies, you're beautiful."

After that comment, they started jumping up and down, blushing and giggling while still cheering for Duke.

"Man, what a bunch of suck-ups…" Joey muttered. The cheerleaders got behind him, with their arms on their hips, and glaring harshly at him. Joey gulped, and turned around to face them.

And the girls started to pull on Joey's costume's dog ears, and pummel him with little punches. Then one of them looked like she was about to jump on Joey. And that just ignited my anger.

I got to them as fast as I could, and growled darkly, "I am not in the best of moods right now. And this is not even close to how furious I can get. Unless any of you want a few broken bones, I would let my dog friend over there go. **Now**."

The girls looked at me as if I were a ghost ready to claim their souls. Well, in a way, I was kind of like a ghost. After all, I was a spirit… Heheh… They turned pale white, and backed away from Joey. The blonde himself seemed to be scared of me, and started backing away. But I grabbed one of his dog ears, and dragged him over to Tea and Tristan.

Tea and Tristan sweat dropped, and laughed nervously.

"Gees, you're even scarier than normal…" Joey muttered. "I'll try not to tick you off…"

"I can hear you, you know!" I mumbled and crossed my arms, and looked back towards the game.

"Hey, Roxy," Tea said cautiously. "Who do you despise more, Lucifer or Duke?"

I didn't even have to think. "Lucifer, hands down." Lucifer burned down Roxy's house, killed her adoptive dad, stole the thing that contained my memories in, and he still is keeping one of the pieces to the Millennium Gem. Compared to Duke, who put a kiss or date on the line with me- I mean, Roxy. I wonder which one would make me hate them more?

* * *

The game started off bad for Yami. Duke _conveniently_ forgot to mention a few tips and rules. That little slippery, sly-

And Duke had another advantage. He admitted to being the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters, which shocked all of us. Pegasus had been interested in Duke's game, and thought about working together after the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. But after Pegasus had lost to Yugi, Duke hadn't heard anything from him. So, Duke blames Yugi, and accuses him of cheating.

And apparently, Pegasus had shown Duke a picture of Roxy, after Lucifer killed Roxy's adoptive dad. Why do I think Pegasus is a bit of a stalker?

When Yami tried explaining that it was Pegasus that was the cheater, Duke didn't even listen.

But in the end, Yami had managed to beat Duke at his own game.

I threw my arms in the air, and jumped with glee, as I shouted. "YEAH! Yugi won!"

The others cheered as well, but went silent as soon as they heard my hollering. Whoops. Maybe I overdid it a tad bit… Heh, after all, Roxy would only say 'Yay, he won' in her own quiet, unfeeling way.

But, I was too happy. Joey wasn't going to be stuck in that dog costume, Yugi got to keep his title, and keep dueling.

"Yeah, my dog days are over!" Joey jumped to his feet.

I ran over to Joey, and grabbed his hands- Err, paws, and danced around in a little circle as I chanted. "Yugi won! Yugi won!"

He sweat dropped at my sudden eagerness, and then smiled deviously. "You know, I think you forgot a little something… Your bet? Have you decided what you're going with?"

I stopped, and blinked. At first, I forgot what he was talking about. And then I remembered. Right, a date or a kiss… And then my face turned crimson red. "I-I al-almost f-forgot." I stuttered, and turned away, my face getting redder by the second.

Tea and Tristan shot me and Yami a wink. That didn't help much. It only made me blush that much more.

Yami must have remembered too, because his face was starting to have a tint of pink in them.

I turned away from all of them, and did the first thing that popped into my head.

Switch with Roxy.

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

The gang, Yugi's grandpa, and Duke were gathered in Dukes office. Thankfully, Joey was out of the dog suit. And Yugi had switched with Yami. While the others were sitting around a table, I kinda just stood around, trying to hide my face without being too obvious. And my face was redder than a tomato.

R had explained about the bet… And at first, I wanted to kill both Duke and her. But, alas, I remembered that R was a spirit. Can't really kill her. And R held me back from throttling Duke. So, I grudgingly decided to forgive him… For now.

Duke held his face in his hands, looking pretty ashamed and regretful. "Sorry Yugi. The better man won today, and you proved that you really did beat Pegasus, fair and square. I was such a creep today, and thanks to those TV cameras, the whole world knows! My store is ruined, and nobody's going to want to play Dungeon Dice Monsters now!"

Yugi smiled softly at him. "That's not true at all. Dungeon Dice Monsters has the potential to become a huge hit!"

"True. I haven't seen a game this exciting since Duel Monsters! You've got to keep your store open." Yugi's grandfather agreed.

"There's more than enough room for two game stores in town." Tea nodded. "I've got a feeling that when Dungeon Dice Monsters takes off, you'll both have a lot of costumers."

Duke lifted up his head, looking really surprised. "Huh, no way! Do you really think so?" Maybe he was expecting us to hate him or something, after what he did to Joey, Yugi, and me. Well, I don't necessarily hate him… I'm still a bit unsure…

"Sure. Dice Monsters is great! I just don't like you!" Joey stated, as he picked up a die used in Dungeon Dice Monsters, and I tried to stifle my laughter. Leave it to him to go and still hold grudges.

"I'd love to learn how to play Dice Monsters." Tristan glared at Joey, trying to get Duke to forget about Joey's rude comment.

"I can teach you." Duke smiled, seeming to ignore what Joey had said earlier.

"That's great!" Tristan smiled.

"Well, since Joey's not wearing that dog costume anymore, I guess I can go back and play Duel Monsters again." Yugi seemed pretty happy, as if Duke had never accused him of cheating.

"Really? You're really going to forgive me that easily?" Duke seemed as surprised as I was. "After everything I did to you and your friends?"

Yugi gave him a thoughtful look next. "The game is over now." he said, "Let's just leave the fighting on the field because revenge leaves you with nothing except more bad feelings, Duke. And if you're truly sorry, then the best thing to do is be friends."

"Duke, the game's over. Revenge only leaves you with more negative feelings. So, if you're really sorry, then let's move on and be friends."

Duke smiled. "I am sorry." Yugi stuck out his hand. And the two shook, smiling.

Duke turned towards me, and his moment of happiness disappeared. "Well, I need to apologize to you too. There's no excuse for what I did. All I can say is sorry."

Now, I was really tempted to make him feel worse for making that bet, but R scolded me. '_Roxy. Forgive and forget.'_ I sighed, and forced a smile. "Well, that's all in the past. Like Yugi said, we should move on."

Duke blinked. "You forgive me too?" At this point, I anime fell. Isn't it possible for me to actually have a bit of sympathy? "I thought you of all people would want to strangle me or something."

My body racked in laughter, as I tried to stand up. Everyone blinked, a little confused. When I calmed myself down, I wiped a tear of happiness away. "That's amusing. Well, I actually did want to at first. But, I thought about it a little… And I don't really want revenge-" Yugi and the gang's eyebrows arched up, as if to say 'You liar'. "-Most of the time." I added, remembering Lucifer. "Anyway, I know firsthand that if you never give up your thirst for revenge, it'll consume you. So, we're friends?" This time, I stuck out my hand. Duke nodded, and shook my hand.

'_Now, that's much better!'_ R nodded approvingly.

I rolled my eyes, and bit back a chuckle. R… I didn't know whether to call her childish, or mature. '_Now, remember, you promised to finish that whole stack of homework when I tell you.'_ I had gathered all the papers a while ago, and stuffed them back in my bookbag.

'_Oh… That.'_ R's mood dropped immediately.

Then, there was a small beep. It was Duke's lime-green laptop, with a little clam shell symbol on it.

Duke opened it up, to see a little envelope icon on the screen. He must have gotten some email. He started typing, and opened up the new message. His eyes scanned the words quickly, and when he finished, a large smile was plastered on his face. "Industrial Illusions sent a contract after all! And they've decided to make Dungeon Dice Monsters go global!" He seemed like he was going to burst from excitement.

While the others were really enthusiastic with their congratulations, I simply clapped and said. "That's cool."

The others sweat dropped at my neutrality.

"Thanks so much, Yugi." Duke smiled. "I really couldn't have done it without your help."

Yugi shook his head, and was about to say something back, when Joey and Tristan got up from their seats, with mischievous smirks on their faces. The two whispered something in Yugi's ear, and his face turned bright red. Yugi shooed the two away.

"Hey, Rox!" Tristan called, and I hesitantly waved back. "Have you decided yet?"

I turned away to hide my blush. "No."

"Well, you better choose quickly, a deal's a deal." Joey laughed, enjoying seeing me discomfort.

"Then, the date, just make it quick." I blurted, and covered my mouth feeling my face grow warmer. I didn't want to say that…?

'_You can thank me later.'_ R chuckled, and I growled. She made me say that!

"It's fine!" Yugi shook his head. "We'll all just hang out or something. Duke, are you coming?"

I turned back, relieved. At least the others were going to be there too…

"Nah, I've got work to do." Duke smiled. "But thanks for offering."

* * *

'_Dusk'_

"Hmm?" I glanced out of the airplane window, just in time to see it take off and relaxed.

'_I can't believe all those people just decided to… Not board the plane…' _The voice sighed in disbelief. '_Your persuasion goes beyond human abilities, you know?'_

"I'll take that as a compliment… I think. And you know my 'trick' in getting them to listen." I leaned back in my seat. "Sorry about that outburst earlier… It's just, Yugi, he… Ugh!" I face palmed. When it came to my emotions, I just couldn't control them at all. Maybe I was a bit too dramatic about it. But still, when I found him…

'_Well, I understand your frustration, but still, the poor kid doesn't even know that a simple thing like that could make you so… Angry.' _He murmured. '_Just let it go already.'_

"No. I'm not going to just let him get away with it… But maybe I won't kill him… Nah, I'll just challenge him to a duel, and we'll just settle things that way. Anyway, the better man should win, right? Unless someone cheats. And I'm pretty sure Yugi's not a cheater. It would be kinda fun to earn the title King of Games…" I cracked a smile. _King… How ironic._

'_Aren't your other title's enough?'_ He mused. '_You know, the Illusionist, the Convincer, the Traveling Duelist?' _

"And you made up two of them." I laughed. "The only one that really is official's the Traveling Duelist. Though nobody knows my real name… But I prefer it to stay that way."

'_Well, the other two seem to fit you too.'_ He sighed.

"I understand the Convincer, but the Illusionist?" I muttered. "Where did that come from?"

'_Your cards that you duel with, duh. Or did you forget? You know your whole deck is full of Illusion cards.' _He scoffed.

"I know my cards inside out, thank you very much." I pulled out my dueling deck. "Hold on…" I drew a random card, and faced it so that I was looking at the back of the card. "It's Illusion Warrior." And sure enough, when I turned it around, it was the right one.

'_You just know the order the cards are in.'_ He said, still unbelieving.

"Alright, say what you want to." I shrugged, and pocketed the cards. "But I'd never be low enough to do that."

'_Says the person who got a whole plane full of people to stay at the airport with a just few words. I don't really trust you.' _He joked. I could always tell when he wasn't serious.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" I looked back out the window.

'_You just did.'_ He replied, and I rolled my eyes. '_Just kidding. Sure you can.'_

"You said a while ago that you have someone you really care about, yet you failed to protect them. What was your relationship with that person?" I fidgeted a little, hoping that he wouldn't be mad. Now when he got angry, it would be worse than the whole world falling apart. I've only seen him like that once… And I never want to see him like that again.

'_Ah… Her… Just best friends. But to tell you the truth… I always liked her a little more than a best friend would. And of course knowing my luck, she never returned my feelings. She was too troubled with other things and was already in love with someone else anyway. I knew it, even if she wouldn't admit it to even herself.' _He sounded more depressed than ever. '_But, I'm kind of glad she chose him over me, after all, I betrayed her and everyone else.'_

"So it was a girl?" I blinked. "Well, buddy, that's the world of love for you. It's like walking through a maze full of traps. Most likely you'll be hurt at least once, unless you don't even go in the maze at all." I smiled grimly. "I was too busy to even try going into that maze…" I purposely stayed clear from the subject of his betrayal. The last time I mentioned it, he blew up like a volcano. I shuddered at the thought.

'_Well, you still have a long life ahead of you. Unlike me. I should be dead.' _He laughed bitterly._ 'If only the person that bound me to that stone had torn my spirit to shreds, then I wouldn't be suffering as much as I am right now… It hurts just staying in this realm. I'm basically dead, but still, my soul remains here. That's just defying the balance of our world… Now, I really want to find that cursed dial… Where did that idiot drop it…?'_

"Cheer up, I'll find a way to get you to the 'other' side." I made air quotes when saying 'other'. "Just enjoy all the scenery of all the different places we go to for now." I didn't even attempt to ask about the dial. It was a topic that stayed off limits, even if he mentioned it every once in a while. When I asked, he would lower his head, looking really uncomfortable, and murmur something about 'dark powers'. And he would conveniently start a whole new conversation, usually about Egypt, magic, or combat.

'_Which reminds me, where are we heading this time?' _He asked.

I laughed at his anxiety. It would only be a few more hours till we got there… "Fine, I'll tell you. We're going to-" I paused dramatically. He tapped his foot impatiently.

"-Japan. To Domino City."

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

"You've got to be kidding me." I said, as I walked into the building along with Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Joey. "Of all the places we go, a skating rink? But I don't know how to skate!"

"None of us are really good, and it's fine," Tea laughed. "We'll teach you."

After we rented our skates, and put them one, Joey and Tristan rushed off to the rink. But the second they walked onto there, the two tripped, and fell. I burst out laughing, while they glared at me.

Yugi chuckled a bit too. "See? We're all pretty amateurish."

Him and Tea managed to not fall when they went to the rink. But I hesitated, taking wobbly steps towards the others. And then, I lost my balance, and fell. This time, it was Joey and Tristan's turn to laugh.

"Haha, real funny." I said sarcastically, and picked myself up, but ended up tripping once more.

"Here," A hand was outstretched in front of me. "I'll help you up." I gripped the hand, and was a bit embarrassed to see that it was Yugi. "If you want, I'll teach to skate a bit too."

"Sure." I replied.

I ended up learning to skate without falling as much as before, and was now racing with Joey and Tristan. And I had just noticed that other than the gang, there was nobody else in here… It was kind of peacefully quiet… Except for our laughter and shouting.

"Yeah!" I laughed, as I sped past the two boys, and was about to pass by Yugi and Tea.

Tea and Yugi watched, amused at our little games.

And then, somehow, I lost my balanced, and started to tumble forward. I saw Yugi try and catch me, but I shut my eyes anyway, preparing for the impact.

_

* * *

_

Narrator

When Roxanna opened her eyes, it took a while for her brain to register what was going on. But when she finally figured it out, she jumped back, her face blushing several shades of red.

Yugi looked embarrassed as well, as he tried to pick himself up.

After Roxanna started to fall, Yugi had attempted to catch her, but the two ended up both falling. And the two accidentally had their lips pressed together in the process.

Tea smiled at the cute scene, while Tristan and Joey just blinked for a few good seconds. Then they burst out laughing. "Looks like Yugi got a date, **and** a kiss!"

Roxanna glared, but then smirked. "Hey guys, do you think that I'm still faster than you in skating?" The two stopped snickering, and blinked. "Because you might want to have a head start then…" Joey and Tristan exchanged looks, before taking off, skating as fast as they could. Roxanna chuckled, and went after them.

Yugi skated over to Tea. "Hey, is it just me, or has Roxy changed a lot since the first time we've met?"

"Yeah…" Tea looked over to the laughing grey haired girl chasing after the two knuckle headed boys. "But for the better."

"Mmm… Hmm… And to think, she lived by herself for so long, isolated and alone…" Yugi nodded. "How do you think she survived? Maybe she had someone watching over her?"

Tea shrugged. "Maybe."

Right behind them, a certain spirit watched the scene with amusement. '_Well, maybe Yugi and his friends are just what Roxy needed to open up a bit… I guess having only a spirit as company for a few years can make you a bit weird…' _R laughed. '_Roxy… Some friends are irreplaceable. I don't think you'll find better friends than these guys. Don't be reckless and lose them.'_

But, she didn't notice that the winds of destiny had changed its course once more. Someone else was going to be arriving at Domino City soon, and bringing Roxanna and the others new troubles.

None of them expected that…

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**Haha, I couldn't skate if my life depended on it. **

**Sorry about the really bad ending for the story… But, guess what? The story isn't over yet! There's one more chapter! And then it's off to **Fading Colors: Season 2**. So, yeah, I'm almost done this season! *throws confetti into the air* This is the closest I've ever gotten to finishing any sort of story… I am so happy! Thanks to all my readers, for supporting me the whole way. **


	33. Chapter 32 Games

Inner Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my OC's, and the fanfic. I'm not getting any money out of this. Just for entertainment purposes.

**Chapter 32- Games **

_Roxanna_

-Dream-

"_Roxy!" I heard someone yell my name. I looked around, confused. I knew that voice. But that means…?_

"_Ryan?" I asked, and heard him again. He was crying out in pain. "Where are you?"_

_I ran around, down so many streets, alleys, curbs… Then I finally found him lying on the floor, gasping for breath._

_He looked exactly like he did the day I last saw him. Before he fell down the cliff._

_Except, one thing… He looked like he was in pain. So much pain. He opened his eyes, which were filled with tears. "Roxy… Run away… They're after you… RUN!"_

_I jumped back. "What do you mean? Who's after me?" I was torn. He needed help, but he wanted me to go…_

"_I don't know, but they're after you because of-" Then his eyes closed, and he stopped breathing._

_My heart just shattered at the sight. "Ryan!" I ran over to him, and put my hand on his skin. It was ice cold. I felt my eyes start to fill with tears. What happened to him? Who did this to him?_

_All of my sadness converted to anger._

"_You can save him…" I froze. I knew that voice too… But who did it belong to? "All you have to do is give in to your anger. Give in to all those negative emotions you're hiding, the ones you're locking up. Just give in…"_

_He knew all of my fears, my dreams, and my emotions… I could tell. I clutched my head, and yelled. "SHUT UP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"_

"_Stop trying to resist. Ryan's waiting… Do want him to just die?" The voice asked._

"_He's dead, you killed him, didn't you?" I demanded. "You killed my brother!"_

"_I won't deny or confirm anything. But I'm going to ask you this… Are the dead always dead?" The voice mused. "Take your friend R, for instance. She died a long time ago. Yet she's still here…"_

"_I won't trust a murderer! R's different, she's a spirit!" I was shaking by now. This guy knew how to get under my skin. _

"_Oh, you're so cute, you know that?" He laughed. "A spirit is a dead person. Only their soul remains alive. R died. What if I told you I could tell you where your brother's soul was?"_

"_I would say, STOP MESSING WITH ME!" I shouted. "If you killed my family I'd never trust you!"_

"_Well, then… I guess I have to do this the hard way." He sighed. "Don't say I didn't try to help you… I offered you the other option, after all."_

_I fell to the floor, screaming in agony, my eyes shut tight. Every muscle seemed to be burning, every bone ached, and my head felt like it would burst open. Mostly, it was my head that hurt the most. My best memories all flashed before me. Was I dying? _

"_No, I can't kill you using this power. Or you would have been gone a lot sooner. I'm merely taking a few memories that aren't necessary." He sounded so neutral when he said that, like he didn't care about anything._

_He was erasing my actually happy memories… And then I saw a picture of me and the gang skating flash for a second, before disappearing. He was taking away the only reason I even had any positive emotions._

"_Exactly. I told you, it would have been much easier if you just let your negative emotions show. But now since you wouldn't cooperate, I'll make sure you only have the angry, sad, emotionless, lonely memories." I didn't understand. Why did he want me to be like that?_

_No. I couldn't let him win. These were my memories, my feelings. He couldn't just toy with them. But when I tried getting up, it was useless. I could barely even breathe._

"_It's too bad your own powers are so weak." He mused. "If they were stronger, you might have been able to stop me."_

"_I thought I told you to leave her to me." It was another voice, more kind. "Let her go."_

_And then I felt the pain disappear, and a flood of memories coming back to me._

* * *

I sat up in my bed, gasping for air, with sweat drops beading on my forehead. Then, I sighed, and fell back, the back of my head hitting my pillow. "It was just a dream…" Then I glanced at my clock. It was only ten o'clock at night…

But was it really just a dream?

I shook my head, and shut my eyes, trying to get a little bit of shut eye without having to be in a nightmare. And I tried to forget about the nightmare I had earlier.

* * *

"What?" I sat up irritably on my bed. There was no school today, and R kept bugging me to wake up.

'_Look out the window… And I finished your homework…'_ R seemed really excited. But why?

I yawned, and walked over to my window, still in my pajamas. Then my eyes widened with surprise and happiness. "Snow?"

R nodded, her eyes twinkling in a way I'd never seen before. '_Yeah…'_ She seemed so much happier and relaxed. '_I haven't seen snow in a long time…'_

"Huh? I thought it doesn't snow in Egypt, except for this one mountain…?" I gave R a confused look.

'_Hmm? Well, don't listen to a thing I say, things just come out of my mouth. I dunno even what half of the stuff I say means.' _R waved the question away. '_Oh, look, it's dawn!'_

I looked out to see the slightest bit of light taint the dark sky. The snow looked so beautiful like that, falling while glistening in the dull light.

* * *

'_Dusk'_

"The world is so cold… So grey…" I sighed, looking out the window of the plane. It was snowing. "The King of Dusk finally can see the winter dawn…"

'_Our plane landed… Oh, and please, I know you're color blind, but grow up! Life goes on. You'll just never be able to see the way you did before. Suck it up, and move on already! And by the way, it's not winter. You don't need to be poetic, describing the scenery.' _The voice scoffed.

"Oh, I know it's not winter. But still, it's kind of an inside joke… You wouldn't get it. And I'll try to keep what you said in mind." I laughed bitterly. "It's been a while since I've seen snow…"

'_Same with me.'_ He nodded.

"You've seen snow… Even though you've been in Egypt your whole life? I mean, when you were alive…" I blinked.

'_Yep. Actually everyone in the village had seen snow... That fateful day…' _He sighed.

"Ok, that's very interesting… We should get off the plane now, shouldn't we?" I stood up, and stretched. "Well, Domino City, we're here!" Then I was about to walk down the aisle to exit the plane, when the exit door opened. I blinked. A group of three walked in.

"The pilot's dead, so don't even think about yelling for help." One of them smirked. "And since there's no innocent people around now, it'll be easy…"

"Just hand over the card, and you won't be hurt." The second one demanded.

The third one just remained silent.

'_What are you going to do now?' _He sounded nervous.

"Alright, is it this card?" I fished the card that Ishizu wanted to talk to me about.

"Yeah," The third one spoke up. "Now, if you don't mind, where did you get it?"

"Stole it from an enemy of mine." I replied.

"And where did your enemy get it?" The third one asked another question.

"From me, sadly." I laughed. "It was my card, he stole it, I got it back."

The third one blinked a little confused.

"Well, you guys want this thing, right?" I asked, and they all nodded. "Based on your costumes, you're not those people that chased me before… So let's play a game. The winner takes the card, and walks out of here alive. The losers go bye, bye."

'_You're so evil…'_ He laughed. '_Just don't overdo it.' _

"The rules are very simple. I give you three commands, which are: Walk up and down the aisle one time, sit in one of the seats in the plane, and stab your comrades with the knives you're holding," I smirked, as they looked a tad bit nervous. "But, the thing is, if you do not follow my commands, you win. Sounds pretty easy, right? Just don't do whatever I say. And if all of you do comply with all three commands, then, well, you're going to be dead. Any questions?"

There was silence for a few minutes, and then all three of them burst into fits of laughter.

"Well, if those are the rules, you're going to be handing that card over to us!" The third one laughed.

'_Remember, don't overdo it…' _He warned me once more.

"We'll see who walks out of here alive today with **my **card…" I tried to hide my smug grin. "Ok then… Game start!"

_

* * *

_

Roxanna

The phone started ringing, and from behind the register, I picked it up. "Hello, it's the Hylkio Bookstore, how may I help you?" My voice sounded really neutral, even to me.

"Roxy, is that you?" It was Yugi. I blushed, thinking about the skating incident. "Well, can the whole gang come over to your bookstore to hang out?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not. See you guys later then."

"Ok, bye." The two of us hung up at the same time. '_Hey, R, are those old games I have still in my room?'_

'_Yeah, I think…' _She smiled. '_You're finally going to use them, after like what, five years?'_

'_Maybe.' _I put on a coat, and wrapped a scarf around my neck. Then, I slid my gloves over my hands. '_But first, I have to greet the others.'_

That was a bad decision. The second I stepped out of the shop, I was hit with a barrage of snowballs. There was so much snow, I had to dig myself out of the pile I was under.

When my head popped out, I saw Joey and Tristan high five each other, while Tea face palmed, and Yugi sweat dropped.

"Joey, Tristan, did you forget about the skating thing? After I caught up with the two of you, I was close to killing you guys. If only Tea and Yugi hadn't held me back…" I glared. "This is war."

Soon enough, all five of us were having a huge snowball fight. There was laughter, yelling, and a few little shrieks of surprise here and there.

When we finally settled down, and got back in the bookstore, everyone was soaking wet.

I shook my hair around, to try to get the water out. And to my surprise, what I thought was snow covering my hair wasn't snow. It was my hair. My actual hair color! I had almost forgotten, when my hair comes in contact with snow or ice, it turns white…

The others seemed to have just noticed as well, but didn't comment.

"Oh, yeah, Roxy," Yugi said. "Remember that play?"

"Yep." I nodded.

"Well, Duke's not going to Domino High anymore, so I'm playing his part now…" Yugi laughed nervously, and a felt my face growing red. Great. After that date-ish thing and the kiss, I have to hug him in front of a crowd too?

"Cool… So…" I said, while everyone was trying to dry themselves off. "Is it alright if we hang out in my room, and talk while we play a few board games?"

The others didn't seem to mind, and soon enough, we were up in my room, playing games while laughing, and talking.

"Ok, my turn!" Joey took the dice, and rolled. But he groaned, since he landed on a piece of land that belonged to Yugi. "Here, man, I'm bankrupt!" Joey threw up his hands in the air, and sighed with defeat, as Yugi sheepishly took his friend's money.

We were playing Monopoly, and Joey and Tristan had already lost. Yugi was surprisingly good at this. Well, I guess he's not called the King of Games for nothing…

"Alright, my turn then." I rolled the dice, and sighed. I had landed on Yugi's property as well. "Well, that means I lose too." I handed Yugi my remaining money, and then stood up, and stretched. "I'll come back in a sec, ok?"

With that, I walked out of my room, and shut the door behind me. And I noticed that my hair had turned back to grey again. '_Well, all good things come to an end, eventually…'_

'_That's why you have to enjoy it while things last!' _R shook her head. '_Get back in there and have some fun with your friends!'_

I sunk to the floor, and sighed. '_Yugi and all of them are really nice… But, still, I wish Ryan could be here too… Mom and dad too…'_

I let one tear fall. And only one.

The door creaked open. Joey and Yugi looked out, and saw me sitting on the floor.

"Hey, what are you doing sitting over there?" Joey asked. "Get back in here! We're starting a round of Duel Monsters!"

Yugi sweat dropped. "Joey called dibs on dueling you first because he wanted to prove to us that he was better than you were…"

I smirked. "Oh, we'll see who's better!" And I jumped to my feet, and laughed as I ran back into the room, shutting the door behind me.

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes:

**AHHH! I finally finished! Thanks to all my readers again. I couldn't have gotten even half as far as I have now with you guys. And again, the next season: **Fading Colors: Season 2. **Just find it on my profile, or any other way you can think of…**


	34. IMPORTANT

***SUPER DUPER EXTRA IMPORTANT- well, kind of**

**Erm, well, first off, I'm terribly sorry about not updating any of my stories in a very long time. The main reasons for my inactiveness would be my injuries, schoolwork I had to make up, and the large amounts of tragedies happening to my family and friends. I don't even want to mention how many funerals I've had to attend lately. So yeah, I've been pretty depressed and I didn't feel like writing anything. Reading this sad story lately isn't really helping my mood. Another reason was I've been losing interest in Yu-Gi-Oh! for a while now, for some unknown reason. It's been very frustrating... I don't want to not like it! *bangs head on the table***

**Due to various reasons stated above, I will put Violin's Song on hiatus. (I'm starting to dislike the couple, and I really don't know why. Ugh, somebody knock some sense into me, please. And I have very little inspiration for writing this story.) The hiatus might be... Well, forever. Or it might just last a month or two. I don't know. I'm really tempted to delete that story, actually.**

**Also, regarding Fading Colors... I did finish writing the chapter, but I lost the file when my computer broke. So I have to rewrite that when I get the chance. Though, updating will be very inconsistent, because of issues stated in the first paragraph.**

**And for my other story/stories, those will be put on hiatus as well.**

**Oh and for those of you that have read Inner Apocalypse and don't know, the second season is called 'Fading Colors'; you can find it on my profile. It seems like some people haven't caught on to that yet...?**

**Again, I am truely sorry for not updating or even writing anything in so long. I promise when things are better for me, I'll start writing again. But that might take a while...**

* * *

**Ah, just so you aren't completely gloomy after reading this, I'll share with you something 'funny', I guess.**

**Alright, so the day I got out of the hospital for the first time, I stepped out of the building. And then I was tackled to the ground by my sister. As you might think, it was very painful. It was pretty funny, yet stupid of her to do. I don't think tackling previously injured patients is a smart thing, do you?**

**Oh, and I am probably going to change my username soon. Just warning you guys ahead of time.**


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